Sneak Thief
by Caribou Kid
Summary: Seaview is called upon to pilfer a new sonar array developed by the People's Republic. The only hitch is they can't get caught.
1. Chapter 1

**Sneak Thief**

By

 **Caribou Kid**

 **Chapter 1**

Vice Admiral Harriman Nelson (ret) sat quietly in his office reading over the final after-action report on their most recently completed mission. It had all been set into motion following the destruction of the submarine Neptune due to an attack by a huge jellyfish that nearly cost Nelson his life*. Rescued after days in a life raft, he joined Seaview in her quest to locate the remains of the downed submarine to verify the cause. As Harri read the report he felt a flush of shame and embarrassment as he skimmed over the recounting of his meltdown in the Control Room following an adverse reaction to the cortisone prescribed for him by the physicians in Pearl Harbor.

He closed his eyes and shook his head in dismay as his paranoid ravings echoed in his ears as the entire scene played out in front of him. He was still amazed at how clear his memory was of the entire incident, given his total lack of control. It all played back perfectly as though committed to film, and he watched in horror as the parody of himself dissolved into the crazed martinet as the drug overrode more and more of his mental and emotional stability. Despite knowing his actions were beyond his control, he still couldn't excuse his attack on Lee Crane, his chosen captain of Seaview, and how his antics forced the younger man to commit mutiny by drawing a gun on the control room crew to save Seaview and the lives of all aboard. He had stripped the man of his command and laid siege to his character and loyalty. The verbal assault on him and his crew was uncalled for as he demanded that Crane be court martialed for his act of mutiny. Even his friend, Admiral Jiggs Starke, COMSUBPAC, had to admit that Crane was right and followed the only course of action open to him to save all their lives.

As he finished the document he closed the cover and transferred it to his outbox. He sighed in disgust once more at his performance, though did smile just a bit. He still thanked his lucky stars that he had been able to snag Lee as captain of his vessel, that he had forgiven him and agreed to continue on as Seaview's skipper. If anything good could be said to have come out of the whole episode, it was giving Starke a full demonstration of Lee's outstanding command and control of both his vessel and crew. There was a new-found appreciation, and daresay respect, Starke had for the young captain; though if pressed on the issue, his old friend would most likely deny it. He truly meant it when he told Starke that Lee was the best there was, and every action the captain took only served to back Nelson's assessment of the man's innate abilities.

Harri sat back in his chair and refilled his coffee cup from the insulated carafe on his desk, then pulled out another report for review, when his intercom buzzed.

"Yes, Angie" he said.

"Admiral, I have Admiral Richmond on line two for you," his admin assistant informed him.

"Thank you, Angie, put him through." Nelson quickly wondered why the Chief of Naval Operations would be calling him. After a moment there was a click and the call transferred over.

"Nelson."

"Harri, Mike Richmond here. How the hell are you?"

"Morning Mike. I'm doing fine. How about you and Margaret?" Harri replied sticking to the polite amenities for the moment, knowing almost certainly that this was more than just a social call.

"I'm doing well, as is Maggie, thanks for asking. How's that boat of yours, still afloat?"

"Most definitely and ready to sail at a moment's notice. So, Mike, tell me what it is I can do for the Chief of Naval Operations this early in the a.m.?" Harri inquired.

Richmond chuckled softly. "Straight to the point as usual; I've always liked that about you. Harri, we have a situation, and think you and that special boat of yours might just be the solution to our problem," Richmond began.

"And what problem would that be?"

"This is something I need to talk about with you personally … and your captain. If I supply the ride, would the two of you be available to come to DC today?" Richmond replied.

"Today?!" Harri replied as he nearly choked on his coffee. "Must be something big to need us there that quickly."

"I wouldn't ask if it wasn't. The longer this situation exists, the greater the threat becomes," Richmond answered cryptically.

"I'm available, but I'll have to track down my captain. We just came off a rough mission, and I banished him from the facility to get some rest and to unwind. I'm not sure where he is and don't know how long it will take for him to get back once I recall him."

"Understood. Jiggs has already filled me in on what happened, and I totally understand. In fact, I'm somewhat surprised to find you back in harness so soon. Starke's report on your last mission is the reason I'm contacting you now. Once you track down Crane let me know when you're both available to come east, and I'll have a jet dispatched to Santa Barbara to pick you up and deliver you here," Richmond replied.

"I'll get right on it as soon as we hang up. No hint whatsoever on why?" Nelson inquired again.

"Not on an unsecured line, Harri. Contact my aide once you've located your captain, and he'll make all the arrangements."

"Will do, Mike. See you soon," Nelson responded and ended the call. He then selected another line and quickly dialed Lee's cell phone.

"Crane," came the groggy sounding response after one ring.

"Lee, Nelson here."

"Morning, sir. What can I do for you?" Lee asked, immediately alert.

"What is your location?"

"I'm just outside San Francisco, sir. Why?"

"I just received a call from the CNO, and he has ordered us to report to Washington ASAP. How long would it take you to get back to Santa Barbara?" Nelson replied.

"Probably about 6 hours give or take."

Harri quickly ran through a number of options in his head figuring what would be the quickest method to get him home. "Let me give Richmond a call back, maybe he can find you a ride out of Travis. It didn't sound like he wanted to wait more than the time it takes to fly cross-country. Do you still have a full uniform in your office?"

"Yes, sir, there's one in my office closet in a black garment bag. There's also a pair of shoes in the box on the floor."

"Good. I'll have Angie give you a call with your flight information shortly," Nelson responded.

"Did the CNO say why he needs us back east so quickly?" Lee inquired, hoping for some hint as to the reason.

"Nope. He just said that there is a situation that he thinks Seaview and _you_ are the best options to resolve it."

"Me?!" Lee replied incredulously. "Well, that could be just about anything, couldn't it? I'll be ready to roll whichever way you need me to go in about 20 minutes."

"All right, I'll pass that on to Angie. See you soon," Nelson replied and hung up.

(((())))

Three hours later, Nelson greeted Lee as he climbed out of the private jet that had transported him from Travis AFB to the Santa Barbara airport. "Good to see you made it, lad," he said. "How was your flight?"

"Nice to see you too, sir," Lee replied. "Uneventful, which is just the way I like them."

"Do you need to pick up anything here in town?" Nelson inquired.

"No, sir. All my stuff is in my carry-on. I'm ready to head out as soon as you are."

Nelson smiled and patted him on the back. "Very good, our ride arrived about 45 minutes ago from North Island," he said as he pointed to the private jet parked across the tarmac. They both turned and started walking towards the other plane.

"Have you received any more information on why the CNO wants to speak with us?" Lee asked.

"Not so much as a hint. They're really being tight-lipped about this, so it must be something big."

They continued the rest of their walk to the plane in silence, each trying to develop possible reasons the CNO would need the specific capabilities of the Seaview. As they reached the plane, they were immediately met by Captain Milner, the CNO's personal aide.

"Good afternoon, Admiral, Commander. Thank you for coming so quickly."

"Morning, Jack," Nelson replied. He looked quickly over at Lee and knew by his expression he'd never met the man. "Jack Milner, my captain of Seaview, Commander Lee Crane. Lee this is Captain Jack Milner, Admiral Richmond's personal aide." Both men shook hands and exchanged brief greetings.

"If you're ready to go, we best get started on our way to DC," Milner said as he turned and began climbing the steps into the Lear jet.

As they entered the craft, they were greeted by a Lt. Commander. "Good afternoon, sirs, and welcome aboard. I'm Evan Schmidt, your pilot today. If you would claim a seat and get buckled in we'll be on our way at once."

"Thanks, Evan," Milner replied, as he made his way towards the rear of the cabin and took a seat. Nelson and Crane nodded as they entered and likewise moved aft and claimed a seat.

"Thank you, sirs. We'll get all buttoned up and be on our way shortly. Once we're aloft, I'll give you an ETA on our arrival in DC. Please sit back and relax. After we've hit 10,000 feet and I'm able to turn off the seatbelt sign, please feel free to help yourselves to food and drinks located in galley in the back of the cabin." The men nodded and Milner turned, hit the button retracting the steps, pulled the cabin door shut and secured it for the flight, then entered the cockpit and closed the door.

Within minutes they felt the plane begin to move as it taxied to the end of the runway then began its run down the tarmac and lifted quickly up into the air and began its climb rapidly out of the airport air space. Nelson and Crane were somewhat surprised at the haste of their departure, which further punctuated the CNO's need to speak with them as soon as possible.

As the plane leveled off, Nelson fixed Milner in his sights. "Well, now that we're on our way, is there anything that you can share with us on this situation, Jack?"

Milner gave Nelson an apologetic smile as he shook his head. "Sorry, Admiral, I've been sworn to secrecy."

"Well hell, what good are you then?" Nelson kidded.

Jack laughed. "Not much at the moment, Harri. I was actually in San Diego visiting family when I got the call this morning as well. The one thing I do know is that the situation poses a threat to us and all our allies with naval operations."

"Wow," Lee replied. "That is far reaching indeed." Milner and Nelson nodded in agreement. Just then there were two tones and the 'Fasten Seatbelt' indicator winked out. Lee unbuckled his belt and pushed to his feet. "I don't know about you two, but I'm a bit parched and in need of some serious caffeine. Can I get either of you a cup of coffee while I'm up?"

"That would be great, Lee," Nelson replied.

"I'll take one as well, Commander," Milner replied.

Lee nodded and headed back to the galley to get them all a cup.

They chatted about nothing in particular the rest of the trip. About an hour out from landing, Crane changed into his uniform so they would be ready to go to the Pentagon as soon as they landed.

Upon landing they were met by a limousine on the tarmac and whisked off the base and on to the Pentagon. As they climbed out of the limo and started making their way up the steps, they were met at the top by the COMSUBPAC, Admiral Jiggs Starke.

"Afternoon, Harri, Jack, Crane," Starke said in greeting. Lee quietly bit his tongue and worked as hard as he could to keep from rolling his eyes. "Follow me, the meeting starts as soon as we arrive."

They all walked after Starke towards an elevator and quickly entered when the doors opened. Starke touched his ID card to the scanner then depressed a button sending them deep into the bowels of the Pentagon complex. Nelson arched his eyebrows in surprise, recognizing the floor they were going to which further emphasized the degree of secrecy that enshrouded this mission.

When the doors finally opened, Starke escorted them down the hallway to the sentry station located in front of a featureless door. They all presented their credentials, then Nelson and Crane were issued temporary passes and admitted to the area behind the door.

They followed Starke down the hallway and entered a door to the left revealing a conference room already occupied by the SECNAV, CNO, COMSUBLANT, ONI, their aides, and senior officials from several allied nations with naval forces. Harri and Lee exchanged a quick glance which conveyed a 'wow' of astonishment at those assembled.

"Ah, Harriman, so glad you and Commander Crane were able to make it today," Robert Casey, Secretary of the Navy said. "In case there are those of you who don't already know them, this is Admiral Harriman Nelson, head of the Nelson Institute of Marine Research, inventor, and owner of the SSRN Seaview; and his captain, Commander Lee Crane." Harri and Lee nodded in response to their introduction.

"Gentlemen, please take a seat, we have much to discuss," Casey continued. "I'm quite sure you're wondering why we've asked you here. There has a been disturbing development with the People's Republic naval forces that are proving problematic, and potentially dangerous to us and the other nations you see represented here."

"And what might that be Mr. Secretary?" Nelson inquired.

"Jiggs, would you care to inform our guests?" Casey responded.

"Yes, sir. Recently, it has become exceedingly apparent, that the PR has developed a new passive sonar system that is enabling them to easily detect and locate our submarines, even when running silent. It may also have the capability to further mask their signals rendering them nearly undetectable. Each of our forces has been bounced by PR submarines appearing out of nowhere. They come in behind our boats and ping them, then bugger off," Jiggs began.

"Through our intelligence connections, we have been made aware that this new system is part of an advanced towed sonar array that is deployed by both PR surface vessels and submarines. Our contact has told us that the PR is finishing up the last of their shakedown tests before deploying them en masse to their surface and subsurface fleets."

"That is troubling," Nelson interjected, having been involved in numerous altercations and encounters with PR subs since Seaview's commissioning. "So, what has that to do with Seaview?"

Jiggs smiled. "I'm getting there. Once we discovered this, we set out to capture one of the arrays so we could study it and counteract the technology. We needed to do it in such a way that it appears as though the towed array became entangled on something in the water and got ripped off the cable, so as not to alert them to our pilfering. The black op boys at the Navy Research Lab developed a device that is deployed using an ROV which attaches to the cable then gnaws through it making it look as though it was lost during operations."

"That sounds rather tricky and difficult to pull off," Harri, replied as he tried to think how it would be done.

"It is," Admiral Richmond, the CNO answered. "The device has to be placed on the cable using an ROV while the surface vessel is under way. That means a submarine must come up under the ship and pass through their propeller wash, to remain hidden from the detection equipment on the array. After that, the boat needs to slowly increase depth and distance from the ship, deploy the ROV and clamp onto the tow cable. Once the cable is severed, the ROV drops away towards the bottom where it and the array are recovered by the waiting sub."

Nelson and Crane exchanged surprised looks. "That really requires some expert boat handling and operation of the ROV," Lee commented, quickly understanding why they were interested in Seaview.

"You're quite right, Commander," the CNO replied. "We've tried to pull it off three times and have run into issues each time, which brings us to why we've asked you here. Given the unique nature of your sub, Harri, and your captaining abilities, Commander, we think Seaview is the best platform from which to carry out this mission. Following your mission to locate the downed sub Neptune, Admiral Starke has spoken highly of the capabilities of both man and machine, and we are hoping you are willing to take a shot."

Lee's startled look at Starke's praise, and Jiggs muffled harrumph, nearly made Nelson burst out laughing. After a moment, now fully back in control, he sat back in his chair and blew out a breath of air. He looked quickly at Lee, regarded his expression and saw the confirmation he expected. "So, what all is involved in this?" Harri asked. "What kind of support vessels are we looking at from the PR? Are they using a submarine when the array is towed by a surface ship? How big is the equipment, and will we be operating it or do you provide that?"

The CNO nodded to Starke indicating he should address Nelson's questions. "In some runs they use one of their subs to verify contact identification, other times the vessel goes out with one to three other boats. As best we can figure, there is a sub within a day's travel to render assistance if required. Our ROV is about the size of your mini-sub, with the clamp and cutter attached to the bottom. Once the cable is cut, the ROV drops down and the Seaview would then rendezvous with it, and pull it aboard along with the array. According to our contact, they play out about four to six miles of cable when they're actively towing and monitoring an area, so you have a little room to play with in working your way to the array. We have trained ROV operators, but if you want one of your own men to do it, we can facilitate his training."

Nelson nodded silently as Jiggs spoke, visualizing how it would all fit together and operate. "Yes…I think we can support your request," he finally said. "What are your feelings about this Captain?"

Lee nodded as well. "Yes, sir, I think that is well within our capabilities. One question Admiral Starke, where are they primarily testing this device? Is it a specific area or is it ocean-wide?"

Starke gave Nelson a quick grin. "Testing has been primarily conducted up in the Bering Sea, north Pacific and Arctic Oceans. We anticipate a shift south as their confidence grows with the system."

"Thank you, sir." Lee replied. "I think that gives us a good chance of pulling this off. With testing focused up towards the Arctic and northern Pacific waters, we could initiate a survey mission some point in the southern hemisphere then break off once we go deep, head north, come in under the ice cap and take their prize. If done correctly, it should take us out as a possible source of the theft."

The group in the room all nodded in concurrence and relief that Nelson had agreed to accept this challenge.

"Thank you, gentlemen, we truly appreciate you taking this on," Richmond replied. "I think we can leave you now with the experts on the system and PR operations, and let you get everything put in order to make this mission happen."

"Agreed, sir," Jiggs replied and quickly made eye contact with those experts in the room. "We'll make sure that Harri and his crew are well prepared."

"It should be noted that the President wants no hint that the US is behind the theft. Complete secrecy must be maintained at all times," Richmond stressed.

"Very good. I think our work here is done for today, people. Let's get out of their hair," the SECNAV said as he rose. Everyone in the room immediately stood as well and those not involved in mission prep followed him out into the hallway.

(((())))

 **Chapter 2**

After three days of intense briefings and mission planning, Nelson and Crane were more than thrilled to be back home. Upon their return, Nelson called a briefing of his senior staff on Seaview instead of his office. The change of venue was unusual but not unheard of yet alerted his men to an unusual mission. Harri chose the meeting place to eliminate any chance that the details of what they were charged to carry out could be overheard by anyone.

Prior to the meeting, Lee conducted an extensive inspection of Seaview, especially the admiral's cabin to ensure that no listening devices were anywhere to be found. He even went so far as to pick up a white noise generator from one of the labs to distort and mask what was said if he perchance missed anything.

Morton, O'Brien, Sharkey, Fox, and Richards assembled in the admiral's cabin as directed, finding Nelson and Crane already there. "Be seated, gentlemen," Nelson said when the last man entered and shut the door. They all quickly claimed a chair or a spot on the admiral's bunk and looked expectantly at both the admiral and captain for an explanation for their summons.

"Gentlemen, the captain and I have just returned from three days of briefings at the Pentagon with top secret orders issued by the Secretary of the Navy. Complete secrecy is essential in this matter and the reason for us meeting aboard Seaview, so as to avoid any chance that we are overheard by prying ears. You five men are the only other NIMR personnel that will be fully briefed on this mission to further reduce the chance on any leaks. To the rest of the crew this will be just a routine mission until we are well out to sea. Do you understand?" Nelson began.

"Aye, sir," they all answered, fully aware that this was no doubt a mission critical to the security of the nation.

"Excellent," Nelson replied. "Apparently, the PR has developed a new hyper-sensitive towed sonar array that is capable of detecting virtually any submarine, even running silent. They have been testing this device in the northern waters of the Bering Sea, and the Pacific and Arctic Oceans for the past few months. There have been numerous incidents where their subs have come in behind ours and other allied nation's subs and bounced them."

All the men sat up straighter, looks of surprise and concern evident on their faces. This development could significantly change the face of submarine warfare and US supremacy, if true.

"The Navy, in coordination with our allies, have developed a plan to capture one of these arrays so it can be studied and hopefully develop a way to either mask our signatures or scramble their signals so it eliminates any advantage the device gives them. They have tried to implement the plan three times to date and have run into problems executing the mechanics. At the suggestion of COMSUBPAC, following his participation on our last mission, he feels that Seaview and her crew are the team that can successfully pull this off."

"What specifically does this plan entail?" Chip Morton inquired.

"Captain, would you care to fill them in?" Nelson responded.

"Gladly, Admiral." Lee replied. "The team at the Navy Research Lab developed a device that will be clamped onto the cable towing the array then essentially gnaw through the cable making it appear as though the array got snagged on something causing it to break. The means of attaching said device, is to maneuver a remotely operated underwater vehicle up next to the cable, activate the clamp, and when the cable parts dropping the array, the ROV also drops down towards the bottom, towing the disabled array with it to be recovered by Seaview. Simple." The looks of incredulity on his crew's face almost made him laugh.

"Simple?!" Morton choked out. "I can see why they've had problems pulling that one off. Is that the best NRL could come up with?"

"It makes perfect sense, Chip, if you think about it. To pull this off and not alert the PR that their new toy has been hijacked, it has to look as though it was lost through normal operations because it caught on an outcrop or other submerged snag in the water. The Navy loses arrays occasionally due to those unavoidable hazards, so it shouldn't make the PR too surprised when they pull up the damaged cable minus their array. Because of the unique feature of Seaview's windows, it will allow the captain to maneuver the boat up under the vessel towing the array, using visual cues in addition to sonar, thereby becoming lost in the surface ship's signal. Once that's accomplished, we cut power and let the vessel move forward until we find the array, then clamp on and relieve them of their device," Nelson replied.

"Glad that one's yours, Skipper," Chip responded. "Is the Navy providing an ROV operator for this junket?"

Lee smiled somewhat evilly at the question. "No. Given your almost fanatical obsession with video games and all things computer, you get to learn the system and make the grab."

"What?! That's not fair," whined Chip, then grinned.

"Wouldn't want you to feel left out on this, Mr. Morton," Lee answered with a chuckle. Chip sneered at him causing the others in the room to chuckle as well. "So how do I train for this endeavor?"

"Some of it will be with a computer simulation, the hands-on portion will be completed at NRL and while we're en route from the south Atlantic," Nelson interjected.

"South Atlantic, sir? I thought you said they're using the new system in the Arctic and Pacific oceans," O'Brien inquired.

"Our cover for this mission will be a research trip to gather samples and information in the Puerto Rico Trench in the southern Atlantic. Once we get there, we will then very quietly make a U-turn head north where we go under the ice cap and transit to their testing area unobserved. ONI has contacts that have access to the testing schedule and will provide the information on vessel-only testing runs. Last thing we want to run into is a PR sub while we're pilfering their gadget," Nelson explained.

"This may turn into a rather lengthy mission depending on our ability to move without being detected. If we have to run silent all the way across the Arctic Ocean, it will not be a rapid transit. Then, once we've succeeded in capturing our prize, we have to transit back to our research area, again undetected. There can't be any hint that we are even remotely near where all this takes place," Lee added.

"So, now that you know our game plan, here are your assignments. Chip, you will be working with the ROV and grappling device making sure you can fully operate it. Bobby, you will take on Chip's duties in preparing for the mission, so he can concentrate on his task. Sharkey, you need to back up Mr. O'Brien and make sure everything mechanical is in top notch condition. Darren, as head of security, you need to make sure this facility is locked down tight and nothing gets in or out without you and your people knowing about it, but while simultaneously not tipping our hand that something is up. We'll need to extend covert patrols beyond the fence line to make sure there's no one watching our activities. Rich, as MMA, you need to ensure that Seaview is kept secure and nothing comes aboard that you don't know about. I don't want so much as a flea gaining access without your approval," Lee directed. "Do you all understand your roles? Do you have any questions?"

The men nodded their understanding and all remained quiet indicating they had no questions at the moment. They all fully grasped the gravity of the situation and the implications if they should fail.

Nelson gave a quick nod, confident that everyone was on board and ready to move. "All right, gentlemen, we will be shoving off in three weeks. For planning purposes, we will count on four months at sea to complete the mission. If luck is with us, we can pull this off quickly and return to port in under two. I want us prepared for the long haul, just in case."

They all nodded their understanding.

"Okay, be about your business, dismissed," Nelson ordered. The men all stood and exited Nelson's cabin to begin implementing their portion of the mission.

(((())))

Morton and O'Brien walked up the hill to the Admin building side by side, as Chip provided a download to Bobby on what he needed to do to get the vessel and crew ready for their departure. As they entered the building, O'Brien headed off to his office to begin preparations as Chip headed upstairs to his office to collect the forms and other information Bobby would need.

Entering his office, he quickly spied an envelope sitting in the center of his desk with his name on it. He picked it up and slit it open to find a flight itinerary and lodging instructions. As he scanned down the document, it dawned on him, that he only had five hours to tie things up at NIMR, then get to the Santa Barbara Airport in time to make his flight.

"This has really got them scared," Chip said quietly to himself and shuddered as he set about transferring files to O'Brien to make sure the XO duties were fully covered. With only two hours to spare, he shut off his computer, grabbed his briefcase as he headed out the door to pack and make it to the airport.

Meanwhile, Bobby sat in front of his computer screen, nearly stunned in disbelief at what seemed to be a never-ending list of files and checklists necessary to take over Chip's duties, appeared in his email inbox. "Whatever they pay him, it ain't enough," he said to himself, and was startled to hear an amused chuckle from his office door.

"Let me guess," Lee said, as he regarded the rather befuddled young officer, "Chip has dumped his entire prep package on your virtual door step and skipped town?"

Bobby blushed somewhat embarrassed at being overheard by his commanding officer, but nodded in agreement. "I can't believe how much he does in mission preparation," he said somewhat in awe as he scrolled through the list of emails then pushed a hand through his hair.

"You know, he really doesn't do all of that, he just makes it looks like he does," Lee replied and settled in the chair next to Bobby's desk. "Delegation is the key to survival, Mr. O'Brien and you will find out just how well Mr. Morton has mastered that lesson both up and down the command chain."

Bobby looked up at Lee dubious of his claim. "Aye, sir," he said cautiously.

"If you need any assistance with any of this, just let me know. Sharkey's also there to help you out, and to identify what you can shuffle off to the ratings. My best words of advice are if in doubt, don't guess, ask," Lee replied. "This is a tough task and kind of unfair to dump on you unannounced, I realize that, so don't worry about asking for help. Okay?"

"Yes, sir, I definitely will," O'Brien responded. "Given the briefing we got, I don't want to be the cause of us coming up short. Thanks in advance for any advice or assistance you can send my way, Skipper."

Lee nodded and smiled. "I really don't think you're going to need much help; you know most of this and given Chip's anal need for documenting every step in the process, each document and checklist will lead you to the next."

Both officer's chuckled knowing full well Morton's need to have each and every item completely accounted for and checked off his lists before _allowing_ a mission to go forward. Lee stood and patted Bobby on the shoulder, then headed out the door to his office to get to his own rather crippling list Chip had already left him.

(((())))

 **Chapter 3**

"Damn, this is tough," Chip hissed as he watched the ROV's camera feed as he tried to maneuver the drone up next to the cable and clamp on while the operators of the test tank suddenly threw in an unexpected current that shoved the little robot out of the way before he could link up. He quickly toggled the switches on his joystick and brought it back even with the cable and clamped it on, then initiated the cutter to less than surgically sever the cable.

As the cutter made its last cut, he again toggled the joystick and tried to adjust to the additional weight on the ROV as it now supported the array and the remains of the tow cable. Unable to compensate fast enough, the drone sank like a rock crashing into the bottom. Chip groaned and winced as he failed once more.

"You've been here two weeks and you haven't mastered that yet?" came a sarcastic and all too familiar voice from behind.

"Oh, bite me," he snarled back. "You have the easy part just maneuvering a 500-foot sub under a moving boat without bumping into it and being detected." Both Chip and Lee burst into laughter as Lee patted his friend on the shoulder.

"You're right, I do," he said with a wink and an understanding smile. "I tried that a couple of times when I was here the first time and got nowhere close."

"What makes this really fun, is they keep throwing in rogue currents, and I swear turbulence from undersea earthquakes to trip me up," Chip lamented. "They haven't had the guts to put me out into the ocean to let me try this for real, yet."

"Yep, and that's why I'm here, to instill confidence in you and beat you senseless if you keep screwing up," Lee replied.

"That kind of encouragement, you can keep. I just hope we're in calm seas when we make our grab."

"You that bad?" Lee deadpanned.

Chip glared at him for a moment. "No! I'm not that bad, it's just a lot trickier than the simulator suggests. I was to the point of pulling it off every time on the simulator, but once we moved to the test tank and the wild hares they release on me every now and then, my accuracy has gone down a bit. I still think I can do it, if you can maneuver the boat correctly without running into the tow boat or any other submarine out there."

Lee laughed and was quickly joined by Chip. "Well, I'm counting on Seaview's windows to give me that extra added edge when it comes time. I guess we just need to hope we meet them above crush depth so we can pick up what you drop, Butterfingers." Chip raised his arm above his head and waved a single finger at his tormentor. To which Lee just smiled.

"That would be nice, just in case," Chip replied with a smile. "How's things in the real world? Seaview ready to shove off?"

Lee nodded. "Just about everything but fresh produce has been loaded, all systems have been checked and double checked, and the crew is ready to roll. You would be quite proud of Bobby, he's done a hell of a job overseeing it all. I'd be watching my back, if I were you," Lee kidded.

"I don't have to worry, he's already told me he wants no part of the job until you're no longer captain. He mumbled something about being too high maintenance and too accident prone for him to handle, and there's not nearly enough money for the aggravation."

Lee scowled at Chip, then laughed. "I don't doubt that a bit. How much longer are you going to be here?"

"I want to go through another iteration to see if I can actually pull this off. Should take about an hour."

"Okay, I'll hang out here and watch. Once you've nailed it we can grab an early dinner and then hop a C-5 heading to the west coast," Lee responded.

"What's the rush? I thought we were going to run a couple of iterations in the ocean with the Abraham Lincoln carrier group."

"Apparently the PR has bounced a couple of Russian subs, and they weren't at all amused. Word is they're rapidly trying to put together something to take the PR's toy away before we can get there. I wouldn't put it past them to sink a sub just to get it."

Chip blew out a long whistle. "That doesn't sound good. I guess that explains why you're here now instead of buried in the innards of Seaview."

"Yep. I just finished up a meeting with SECNAV, CNO and COMSUBPAC on the heightened urgency in pulling this whole thing off. The fact they've turned their array on their "ally" has moved everything ahead. It's also served to increase the technical difficulty of this mission by about a thousand-fold, as we now have to keep an eye out for the Russians in addition to the PR. Once we make the grab, then we have to beat feet out of there making sure no one is tailing us."

"Ah, but that's why _**you**_ make the big money," Chip replied as he patted Lee on the shoulder.

"Thanks," Lee answered flatly. "Now, get to it so I can get you fed before we have to hop the flight."

"Aye, aye, Skipper. Anything you say, sir," Chip said snapping to attention and throwing off a jaunty salute. Lee rolled his eyes and snorted, then headed out to let Chip work in peace.

Once Lee left the lab, Chip called the control tower of the test tank and had them reset the cable and array for another run. This time he deftly brought the ROV up alongside the cable, rapidly clamped on, and initiated the cutting sequence. As the cable parted, the controllers threw in a surge current that Chip easily compensated for, and directed his drone to the designated drop point, in record time.

He sat back in his seat and let out a relieved sigh. He had to laugh as the people in the room and in the control tower cheered loudly. Chip stood and bowed slightly, "Thank you, thank you, thank you very much," he replied and wiped at an imaginary bead of sweat on his brow.

The lead technician approached him as he powered down the system. "Well done, Chip. Looks like you're ready to go try this for real," he said as he patted him on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Mike. I appreciate all the help from you and the staff. I think I stand a fighting chance of pulling this off."

"No doubt there."

"Well, gotta go find my CO. Keep your fingers crossed, and hopefully we'll bring back a toy you all can play with in a few months," Chip replied. He quickly collected his jacket and cover then headed out the door to find Lee and to get ready for their flight home.

(((())))

As the staff car pulled to the NIMR front gate, two security men approached the vehicle, verified the identities of all inside and conducted a thorough inspection of the car. Finding all as it should be, they waved the car through.

"Wow, things are really tight. Looks like Darren isn't taking any chances," Chip remarked as the driver took them up to the admin building. They quickly exited the car and headed up the steps.

"That's a fact. Just wait until you see the screening to get down to the subpen and then for getting on the boat. I've had physicals that are less invasive," Lee replied and smiled. "The crew has also been instructed to forget about bringing any personal electronics gear aboard. The admiral has purchased DVD players, iPods, and tablets that will be provided to the crew, so there's less chance anyone can smuggle a transmitter, receiver, or other tracking device aboard. The cover story is that some of the electronic survey devices the admiral intends to use could be potentially affected by devices not meeting stringent emission standards. Now's the time to make that bid for the new laptop you've been wanting." Lee winked then pulled open the door and headed into the building.

"Hmmm," Chip said speculatively. "I could use a new iPad too." He then winked and both men laughed as they waited for the doors to the elevator to open. Once inside, Lee hit the button for the top floor and the admiral's penthouse.

"Why are we meeting there?" Chip asked, somewhat surprised they weren't heading to Nelson's office.

"The admiral has installed some new equipment in one of the rooms upstairs that should make any attempt at eavesdropping pointless. It's an inner room with no windows, so there's no chance for long distance lip reading either," Lee replied and smiled.

Lee knocked twice and then entered the outer door. "Admiral, we're back," he called out.

A moment later, Nelson entered the room from the kitchen and smiled. "Welcome back, Lee, Chip, nice to have you home again. How was your trip?"

"Long," Lee answered. "We've finalized the details and will be ready to receive the equipment once we hit the east coast."

Nelson nodded. "How did your training go, Chip? Are you ready to make this happen in one take?"

Chip nodded. "Yes, sir. They threw everything at me but a tidal wave, so I'm sure I can adapt to whatever we encounter. I was hoping for an open sea trial, but I'm told that's not an option now."

"Good to hear, lad. I'm sure Lee told you about the developments between the PR and Russia. It's as if they're daring someone to come after their new array," Nelson responded.

"Well, I'm praying that it's not some elaborate trap and they're just being their surly selves by targeting friend and foe, alike. According to the ONI contacts, it's most likely a show of their self-supposed superiority and taunting the other kids on the block with their new toy. Detection is one thing, but vessel superiority is another. They may know who's coming, but there's no way they can outrun or out gun what's coming after them," Lee added with a bit of an evil smile.

"Too true," Harri said as he smiled and patted Lee on the shoulder. "Let's adjourn to the conference room to discuss your meeting in DC, shall we?"

"Yes, sir," both men answered and followed Nelson down the hall.

Once inside, Harri flipped a switch triggering numerous devices designed to prevent any methods of electronic or physical intrusion short of a bomb. There was a deep thrum and the sound of electronic locks engaging on the only door.

"Take a seat, gentlemen," Nelson directed. They all pulled out a chair from the table and sat down. "Okay, Lee, what news from DC?"

"Well, sir, the PR is getting cocky with their new system and have begun showing off by bouncing friends and 'not' enemies alike, which is starting to upset quite a few countries. Reports have filtered in that the Russians for certain, and possibly the Chinese are preparing to make their run at collecting the system. Our contact in the PR submarine community is attempting to get the system software, which when coupled with the hardware, will allow us to fully evaluate what they've developed. It's unknown if the other nations are in a similar position to make a run or not," Lee began.

"SECNAV thinks it best to accelerate our program and move sooner, as opposed to later. That being said, the drone and cutter are already en-route to the Lincoln carrier group well disguised as some innocuous repair parts. We also settled on a mid-ocean subsurface transfer to avoid any nosy satellite traffic. We are to shove off from here as soon as possible, make our way to the south Atlantic and initiate our 'research', then break off and rendezvous with them. They will deploy the unit from one of the vessels in the carrier group then Chip will take control, and we'll bring it aboard and drop off the face of the Earth. We then head north and transit the Arctic Ocean beneath the ice sheet emerging on the western side. Once free of the ice we'll then position ourselves to begin our hunt for the PR trawler when word is passed. The whole success of this plan is predicated on us remaining undetected by anyone, including those who may also be prowling around those waters looking for the same prize."

"Sounds simple enough," Chip said sarcastically.

"SECNAV was quite adamant that US hands not be caught in this cookie jar," Nelson added. "This will be a very taxing and difficult mission, since once we move into our survey area, we go silent. The entire transit to the Arctic has to be done running silent, making that a very long trip just to get in position. Then we park somewhere on the bottom and sit like a halibut until dinner paddles by."

"Is there any indication how long that will be?" Chip inquired.

"They've been dispatching the trawler every other month, field testing the array for a couple of weeks then heading back in, to debug and improve the system. If they keep to that schedule, we will probably be on the bottom for a couple of weeks before the ship sets sail. Of course, given their more aggressive posture of late, they may move the schedule up. Worst case scenario is they deploy before we can clear the ice cap and we miss them. At that point it's up to SECNAV to decide whether we wait or come home."

"Lovely," Chip replied. "Best not make any plans for the short term then."

They all shrugged and smiled knowingly, having spent their careers subject to the needs of the nation over their own.

(((())))

 **Chapter 4**

Two days later, Lee stood in the conning tower issuing orders to get them started on their mission. The crew quickly complied and the stately boat moved gracefully from her mooring out past the breakwater, then disappeared into the depths.

"All right Mr. Morton, let's get this show on the road," Crane stated. "Course 1-8-0, depth 150 feet, cruising speed. We need to be at the Panama Canal in time to make our appointment."

"Aye, Captain," Chip replied, then repeated the orders to the helmsman, and Seaview turned gracefully to port. As the boat began to move, O'Brien updated the chart with the current information.

"Mr. O'Brien, you did a fantastic job getting Seaview ready to sail so quickly," Lee began. "I think you probably gave Mr. Morton here quite a run for his money. Well done."

Bobby smiled and blushed slightly. "Thank you, sir. I wouldn't have stood a chance if Mr. Morton hadn't had everything set up so even a newb could do the job."

Chip laughed and patted him on the back. "The lists help, but you were the one who made sure it was all done. Guess I can start thinking about using some of my leave time knowing everything is in such good hands."

As they chuckled at that, Nelson came down the staircase and joined them in the Control Room. "Good to see we're all in such high spirits," he commented. "Everything on course and taken care of?"

"Yes, sir," Lee replied. "We should arrive with ample time to spare for our appointment to transit the canal."

"Good, good. Well we best enjoy our ability to make noise and have fun, because things will get serious shortly," Harri commented.

They all nodded. "On that note, I think I'll take an amble through the boat. You have the conn Mr. Morton," Lee said and headed towards the aft hatch.

"Aye, sir, I have the conn," Chip acknowledged. "Don't get lost." Lee laughed and waved as he passed through the hatch for his first walk-a-boat of the mission.

(((())))

Forty-eight hours later, Seaview emerged from the final lock of the Panama Canal. Once clear of the area, she submerged and began heading towards her research site in the Puerto Rico Trench. The research plan had been well socialized within NIMR, other research labs, and Navy facilities with an interest so word no doubt had reached various ears regarding the massive boat's position. The mission plan indicated they would submerge near crush depth and then lower the diving bell and other various ROVs deeper into the trench to conduct their research. The estimated submerged time was touted to be nearly four months.

Arriving on-site at the trench, Lee immediately surfaced the boat to give his crew one long day in the sun before they disappeared into the depths and began their clandestine run north. Satellite cameras would easily pick them up as they lounged on the surface and giving them the alibi necessary to keep prying eyes and ears from trying to locate them.

As the sun began to set, Lee climbed up into the conning tower finding both Nelson and Morton already there enjoying the final minutes of sunshine and watching the crew relaxing on the deck below. "At least we had one hell of a nice day so everyone could stock up on Vitamin D," Lee quipped.

Harri and Chip both smiled and nodded in agreement. They stood quietly for a few moments as they watched the crew taking full advantage of the BBQ and games before they had to leave.

Lee drew in a deep breath then looked at his companions. "Well, I guess it's time to button everything up and get on with the show. Let's get them inside, Mr. Morton."

Chip nodded and called to Sharkey, relaying the captain's order to clear the deck and prepare to submerge. The crew jumped to, quickly stowing everything on deck and moving inside ready to carry out their mission.

Once inside and submerged, Lee gave the order directing them to their first destination to rendezvous with the Abraham Lincoln carrier group in order to pick up the ROV and its specially designed equipment.

(((())))

Twenty-four hours later, Seaview signaled the Lincoln alerting them to their presence. She had easily slipped in amongst the various vessels and her unique sound signature was now lost amongst the throng of ships around her.

"Fagin, this is Artful Dodger," Lee said into the mic.

"This is Fagin, we read you Dodger," the captain of the Lincoln replied. "You're right on time. We have a package for you when you're ready."

"Copy, Fagin. You may deliver it at any time," Lee answered, then looked over at Chip who was standing in the nose with the ROV remote control ready to take command of the device.

"Standby, Dodger. Will let you know when we've dropped it in the mail," Fagin directed.

"Who picked out these call signs?" Chip asked quietly.

"Admiral Hardy," Lee responded. "He's a real fan of Charles Dickens. If we were doing this during the Christmas season, we most likely would be talking to Scrooge or Jacob Marley. Be thankful it's Oliver Twist."

"Oh," Chip said. "You know his literary preferences? You've known this man entirely too long." Lee rolled his eyes at the remark, not willing to dignify it with a response.

"Ready to go, Chip?" Lee asked as he walked forward.

"Ready to rock and roll," Chip answered with a wink. "All systems show green, just waiting for signal recognition from the drone."

Lee patted him on the back, then turned as he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Harri quickly made his way into the nose and looked out the windows to the dark water beyond. "We're just waiting for the Lincoln to deploy the ROV, sir." Lee informed. "Once that happens, Chip is ready take over control and bring it aboard."

"Good," Nelson responded. "How long until they do that?"

"They're dropping it in the 'mail' now," Lee answered.

They stood there looking out the windows for another 15 minutes. "Dodger, this is Fagin," came the hail.

Lee moved to the nearest mic and picked it up. "Fagin, this is Dodger, go ahead."

"We're posting it now. Do you have confirmation?"

Chip looked down at his control unit and nodded as he noticed the readout flash green indicating he now had a strong signal. He flipped the switch, and the video screen came to life as a signal from the onboard camera began sending images. He toggled another switch and the drone's lights turned on illuminating the area in front of it.

He then regarded the location beacon on the tracking screen which showed the unit a thousand yards off their starboard bow, and 80 feet above them. He engaged the propeller and directed the ROV down towards them. As the screen displayed the image of Seaview's windows with the three men standing behind them Chip nodded and smiled. "I've got control."

"Fagin, we've picked up the mail. Will be opening it up shortly, thanks for the quick delivery," Lee responded.

"No problem, Dodger. Hope it works out well for you."

"Us too," Lee answered. "Will let you know if it's the right size in a few minutes."

"Copy, Dodger. We'll be standing by if you need to exchange anything."

"Copy, Fagin," Lee acknowledged.

As Lee had been speaking with the Lincoln, Chip had maneuvered the drone down Seaview's length and underneath to the hatch in the Missile Room used to launch and retrieve the diving bell. He carefully lined up the unit with the hatch then surfaced it, at which point it was snagged by one of the ratings, the lifting hook was attached to the ring on top and the ROV was hoisted aboard.

"Control Room, this is Sharkey."

Crane clicked the mic, activating the channel. "Go ahead, Chief."

"Package received and we're all buttoned up, Skipper."

Lee smiled and looked over at Chip. "Copy, Sharkey. Mr. Morton is on his way down now to look things over."

"Copy, Skipper. Out."

Chip and Nelson exited the nose through the control room and rapidly made their way down to the Missile Room. Once there, Chip conducted an extensive inspection of the ROV ensuring everything was operational. As he completed his review he looked up at Nelson and gave him a nod and a smile indicating everything was as it should be.

Nelson walked over to the escape hatch and grabbed the mic. "Lee, this is Nelson. Inform Fagin that the package is perfect, and we will be moving on."

"Copy that, Admiral." Lee responded. He double clicked the mic re-establishing the connection with the Lincoln. "Fagin, this is Dodger. The item is a perfect fit, we'll take it and be on our way."

"Copy that, Dodger. Sikes wanted to remind you not to get pinched in the effort. Good luck and happy hunting. Fagin, out."

"Nice of SECNAV to wish us well," Lee groused then smiled. He then issued the orders to drop Seaview down to 200 feet and on a course due north at one third speed in the relative obscurity of a thermocline. It wouldn't be a fast trip, but it would be quiet and shouldn't garner any unwanted attention.

(((())))

* Season 1 - Mutiny


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 5**

Five days into the transit Lee had the conn on the late watch and was puttering around when he noticed a blip on Kowalski's screen. "Whatcha got, Ski?" he inquired.

"Looks to be a super tanker, about 10,000 yards ahead on our starboard side."

Lee smiled at the confirmation of his evaluation. "Excellent. What's her course and speed?"

"She heading north-northeast course 0-1-5, traveling at 23 knots," Ski replied and looked up curiously at his skipper's face. "Something wrong, sir?"

"No, nothing's wrong. In fact, this is great," Lee answered, his smile growing wider. He crossed back to the chart table and quickly reviewed his map. "Helmsman come to course 0-1-5, increase speed to 25 knots."

"Aye, sir. Coming to course 0-1-5, increasing speed to 25 knots," the helmsman acknowledged.

The subtle shift in course was barely perceptible as Seaview moved slightly to the right, but the deeper thrum of the engines as they kicked in was easily recognized. After about a minute, Chip came rapidly down the staircase to investigate their change in course and speed.

"What's up, Lee?" he said as he finished cinching up his tie. "Problems?"

"No, not at all," Lee replied and chuckled lightly. "We just happened upon a super tanker going generally our way. I thought we'd go along for the ride and cover more ground a little faster than we've been going. Plus, I could use the practice."

"Huh?" Chip asked.

"Sonar, what's our position?" Lee asked.

"We're directly behind her, closing fast," Kowalski answered. "Four thousand yards and closing."

"Call out when we're within a thousand yards," Lee ordered.

"Aye, sir," Ski acknowledged, still confused about what was going on.

"Helm, bring us up to 110 feet."

"Aye, Skipper, coming up to 1-1-0 feet."

"Skipper, 1,000 yards and closing," Ski reported.

As Seaview reached her depth, they could clearly make out the hull and propellers of the super tanker ahead through her front windows and feel the wash of her wake over the hull.

Lee quickly began issuing course and speed adjustments as they came in through the wash between the ship's propellers. Once they passed the props and were roughly amidships on the tanker, he ordered the helmsman to match course and speed with the vessel and drop back down to 200 feet. They were now doing a very respectable 23 knots and their sound signature was covered by the diesel engines of the behemoth above them.

"Very nice job, Skipper," Chip remarked. "I wondered what you were up to. It's rather nice having an escort for part of the way. Hopefully you can do it that smoothly when we play with the PR."

Lee smirked at Chip. "As if there's any doubt," he said sounding somewhat indignant then started to laugh. "I think the PR may be a little more alert as to what's around them than our friend above."

"So, what are you doing up at this hour anyway?" Chip asked.

"Just couldn't sleep, so gave Bobby a break. He'll be back in a few then I'll head up to bed," Lee replied. "So, what got you out of bed so suddenly?"

Chip glowered at him for a moment. "Someone started messing with the normal operation of the boat on this cruise and had to check out which putz was in command."

"Really?" Lee said returning his glare.

"Really," Chip replied seriously, then started grinning. "Actually, I couldn't sleep either and felt the shift in the boat's position. I figured it would be more interesting checking on that than finishing up the paperwork I was working on."

Lee smiled and nodded knowing exactly what he meant. As he completed updating the course on the chart, O'Brien returned from his break. He was somewhat chagrined to find the XO now in the conn with the captain and wondered what had been going on.

"Nothing to worry about, Bobby," Lee said smiling at the younger man's concerned expression. "I've just given us a hat for however long it lasts and kicked our speed up accordingly. Keep a close eye on the tanker and when she starts to diverge significantly from our desired course, drop Seaview back down to 15 knots and resume our course to the Arctic Ocean."

"Yes, sir," O'Brien acknowledged.

(((())))

Much to their delight, the tanker was headed to Greenland, and provided cover for nearly four days delivering them well into Baffin Bay. As the tanker moved in a more easterly course, Crane reduced speed and turned Seaview to the west as they began encountering ice and would soon be under the cover of the polar ice cap.

Another two days travel had them completely under the ice and they then turned west and slowly made their way across the vast expanse of ice. Eight days later they emerged into the Chukchi Sea. Once free of the ice, they deployed their surface antenna to get an update on the trawler movements and estimated location of the next round of trials.

"This just came in on the VLF, sir," Sparks reported and handed a slip of paper to Crane.

"Thanks, Sparks." Lee quickly skimmed over the text then nodded and headed to the chart table where he regarded the map laid out before him.

"Whatcha, got, Lee?" Chip asked as he joined the captain.

"According to this, a trawler called the _Gremlin_ , will be deploying in 10 days and heading for this area here," Lee replied pointing to an area in the upper Bering Sea. "She'll be operating between St. Lawrence Island and the Gulf of Anadyr."

"Interesting choice, especially since according to intel, they've already pissed off the Russians by coming in and bouncing them," Chip responded as he scrutinized the map. "Seems like kind of a busy area to be testing their sonar."

"Could be they're looking to determine if they can distinguish individual signals in a high traffic area," Lee conjectured. He returned his gaze to the map and traced possible courses from their current position to the test site. As he and Chip went over the options, Harri came down the staircase and joined them at the table.

"I take it we have a location for the tests now?" Nelson inquired.

"Yes, sir," Lee replied and handed him the message they had just received.

Harri quickly read over the message then looked down at the map Lee and Chip were working on. He watched as Lee traced a number of courses and was interested to find he kept going back to the ones closer to shore.

"Any reason you're favoring an approach closer to shore?" Nelson asked.

"I'm thinking of keeping closer to the littoral zone making it more difficult for anyone to pick up our signal. This time of year, there tends to be some heavy storm action and the noise generated by other vessels keeping closer to shore, along with the waves making contact with the shoreline should significantly mask our signal. Once we get here along the Alaska mainland, we'll make our way into the area around St. Lawrence Island, bottom the boat and wait for our prey to venture out."

Nelson and Morton nodded in agreement.

"It's nice our contact was able to get the transponder signal for the trawler so we have something to hone in on," Chip remarked.

"Yes, that's a huge bonus," Lee agreed. "It makes it a hell of a lot easier than having to bop up to the surface and check out each trawler that happens by, I just hope it's the right one."

"Definitely," Harri concurred. "Well, since it looks like we still have a little time, I'm headed down to the lab to work on a couple of my experiments. Let me know if anything changes, Lee."

"Aye, sir." Lee returned his scrutiny of the chart. "Helmsman come to course 0-9-5, one third speed."

Chip repeated the orders to the helmsman which was quickly acknowledged and Seaview turned slightly towards the east as she continued her slow trip down the Alaska coastline.

(((())))

 **Chapter 6**

It had been a long 10 days as Crane had slowly maneuvered Seaview down the coast, then eased out by St. Lawrence Island. The last 5 days had been spent playing flat fish as they waited patiently on the bottom for their quarry to emerge.

"Skipper!" Sparks called out excitedly.

"What is it Sparks?" Lee replied as he moved over to the radio shack.

"I just got a hit on the trawler's transponder. She's showing a position approximately 400 miles due west of our position."

Lee regarded the video screen showing the various marine vessels using transponders in their area and smiled as Sparks pointed out the one that was of greatest interest. As he scanned the digital chart, there were three other smaller _fishing_ vessels in close proximity that were no doubt escorts for the trawler.

"Good work, Sparks. Keep an eye on them and let me know if they deviate from their current course," Lee said as he patted the man on the back. He then moved to the sonar station and peered over the operator's shoulder. "Patterson, any submarine traffic that could also be associated with that boat?"

"The scope is currently clear of any underwater signatures, Skipper. Of course, that's not to say anybody else has been out here just waiting for them too," Pat answered with a quick grin.

"Keep your eyes and ears peeled for any such rude surprises, okay?" Lee answered as he gave Pat a quick nod. He then moved forward to the chart table to review their position and to plot an intercept course for the trawler. Deciding on his course of action he moved over to the helmsman. "Helmsman, 5 degrees up bubble, bring us to 1,200 feet, course 2-7-5, ahead two thirds."

Rodriguez confirmed the order and immediately put Seaview in motion. Within seconds Lee heard the hurried click of oxfords on the staircase as Morton descended into the Control Room. As he made eye contact with Crane he was graced with a quick smile and a bounce of his eyebrows indicating the game was now afoot.

"So, they've come out to play," Chip commented as he moved to the chart table and updated himself on their new course.

"Looks that way, according to the transponder traffic Sparks is following," Lee replied. "It also appears that she's got three vessels acting as escort but no subs detected at this point."

"That's good to hear. I truly hope we're the only ones out here hunting," Chip responded.

Lee smiled and nodded. "Ditto." He reached over and picked up the mic and clicked it twice. "Attention all hands, this is the captain, we are now in pursuit of our quarry. As I have stressed throughout this mission, silence is our best chance of sneaking in and relieving them of their prize. Keep noise down to a minimum. When we're within striking distance we will go to silent running, so be prepared. Crane, out."

The captain's announcement sent a surge of energy through the boat and the crew now that they were actively on the hunt. They had been fully briefed and knew what was at stake, and how it now fell to them to make sure they got the array to ensure they kept themselves, and other friendly submarine crews safe from the PR threat. Their vigilance snapped up to the next degree, as they were charged with a sense of excitement as they began their very dangerous game.

(((())))

Twelve hours had passed since Crane's announcement and Seaview had begun actively hunting the _Gremlin._ Lee had paced the Control Room almost non-stop as he moved between stations touching base with his operators and checking the displays. As he began to head forward to the nose, Patterson caught his attention.

"Skipper," he said softly. "I've got four vessels ten miles ahead, traveling in a triangular pattern. I think these are the guys we're looking for."

Lee hurried back to the sonar station and regarded the screen over Pat's shoulder. He smiled slightly as this very much looked like who they were after. "Good job, Pat. Sparks, what does your digital readout say?"

"I agree, sir. Transponder signal indicates the same lat/lon for the vessels we're after," Sparks replied.

Morton joined Lee at the sonar station and they watched the blips of the boats above them. "Show time?" Chip inquired.

"Close to it. The stage seems to be set, just waiting for the overture and the opening curtain," Lee answered. "Any indication they're towing anything, Pat?"

"I would say no, sir. Their course has varied too much for them to be towing anything."

"Any other traffic in the area, Pat?"

"Negative underwater contacts, but there are a few surface vessel contacts at varying distances," Patterson responded.

"Sparks, check the Alaska Marine Exchange and see what vessels are in the area," Lee ordered.

"Aye, sir," Sparks replied and pulled up the display showing surface vessels with transponders registered with the service. "There are six container ships, two super tankers, and a host of fishing boats scattered around the area." He then toggled over to the feed from the Pentagon. "There don't appear to be any military vessels in the area other than the _Gremlin_ and her escorts."

"Good. Head on down and get your gear ready to deploy, Chip," Lee ordered.

"On my way, Lee." Chip headed out through the aft hatch and down to the Missile Room to ready the ROV.

As he entered the missile room, Sharkey and crew had already positioned the ROV so Chip could activate the unit and it could be rapidly deployed. He nodded and smiled at their readiness. "Good job, Chief," Morton said as he moved to the control panel on the drone and activated unit.

The ROV readily fired up and illuminated the various panels. Chip ran the internal diagnostic program and received green lights on all components. He then walked to the chest containing the controller, opened it up and removed it. He powered it up then flipped on the digital display and engaged the camera. He toggled the switch panning the camera around the room and got a clear picture. Satisfied that everything was operational, he shut off the systems.

"Chief, when given the signal to launch, just depress this switch here to activate the ROV," Morton instructed. "It will beep twice indicating all systems are go."

Sharkey looked over the drone and nodded. "Aye, sir. Just give the word and we'll have it hot and out the hatch."

Chip smiled and nodded. "Great. It shouldn't be long now," he said and crossed his fingers. He then headed out the hatch with the control unit back to the Control Room, ready to go when the time came.

(((())))

 **Chapter 7**

"Captain," Kowalski called out, having replaced Patterson on sonar.

Lee moved quickly over to the sonar station. "What is it, Ski?"

"Sir, the vessels have been proceeding in a straight line for that last 20 minutes and have now come to a stop. I think they're getting ready to deploy their array."

Lee regarded the screen intensely, then as he and Ski watched they both noticed a momentary small blip on the sonar, then the vessels resumed their course and speed. Both men smiled. "Touchdown," Lee said as he patted Ski on the shoulder. "Okay, here we go. Give me the numbers, Ski."

Ski nodded and after a moment spoke. "She's traveling at 10 knots, due east course 0-9-0. One vessel is riding point, and the other two are in flanking positions on either side. All moving at 10 knots."

Lee nodded. "Mr. Morton, signal silent running."

"Aye, sir," Morton answered. He grabbed the mic. "Attention all hands, rig for silent running." Sounds on the boat immediately dropped to only the soft reports of equipment reporting the location of their quarry and other critical operating systems.

Crane moved to the chart table to refresh his memory of the area they were about to cover. The bottom was above their crush depth and was littered with outcrops and sea mounts; a perfect location for an array to _naturally_ catch on a subsurface hazard and become separated from its tow line.

"Kowalski, any other contacts?" Lee asked.

"Negative, sir."

"Helm, come to course 2-7-0, bring us up to 150 feet, ahead slow."

Chip repeated the orders as did the helmsman, and Seaview slowly rose and edged her way forward waiting to meet up with the advancing boats. As they eased their way ahead, Harri trotted down the stairs to observe the operations.

"We find what we're after?" Nelson inquired.

"Yes, sir, I believe we have. We've got four boats dead ahead that match the transponder signals we were given. Also, they came to a dead stop, dropped something overboard and are now moving ahead in formation in a straight-line course," Lee replied. "We're now on an intercept course and once they pass overhead we'll do a 180 and begin to follow slowly behind."

"Any guess on how much cable they'll play out?" Harri asked.

"I would bet on 6 miles, that's fairly standard for a surface ship, unless their new system has found a way to tune out the boat on a shorter lead," Lee answered.

Harri nodded, concurring with Lee's assessment. "Is everything ready to go once we reach them?"

"Aye, sir," Chip replied as he held up the remote. "I've run the ROV through all the diagnostics and she's green across the board. Sharkey already has the unit rigged for immediate deployment and will activate the drone and launch it once given the signal."

"Skipper, we are in direct alignment with the _Gremlin_ ," Kowalski said.

"She still on a course of 0-9-0?" Crane inquired.

"Affirmative, sir. Holding steady at 10 knots."

"Helm come to 0-9-0," Lee ordered. The helmsman immediately complied gently turning Seaview in a tight U turn to follow the vessel above. "Let me know when she's passes overhead, Ski."

"Aye, sir," he acknowledged.

"Go ahead and launch your drone, Chip," Lee ordered.

Chip nodded and picked up the mic. "Missile Room, launch the ROV."

"Missile Room, aye, initiating ROV launch," Sharkey instantly acknowledged. "Control Room, ROV is away," he confirmed a minute later.

"Copy, Missile Room. Morton out."

Chip moved forward to the windows and toggled the switches on his control unit directing the ROV to engage its motor and activate its camera. They were instantly provided a picture of the underside of Seaview as the drone began moving forward towards the nose.

"So far so good," Chip said with a smile as all readouts indicated the unit was operating perfectly. Within a minute, the small drone pulled out ahead of Seaview in full view of those inside.

Chip flipped a switch and the aft camera activated sending a picture of Seaview back to the sub. "Everybody wave, and say cheese." They all chuckled, then Morton maneuvered the little drone back towards Seaview and carefully sat it down on the hull to catch a ride until it was time to go after the cable. Once it was securely in place he made eye contact with Lee, smiled and nodded.

"Excellent," Lee replied matching Chip's smile. "Ski, where's the _Gremlin_?"

"The lead boat is just passing over us now, Skipper. The _Gremlin_ is about a thousand yards behind. The flanking vessels have moved off to the sides about fifteen hundred yards and have dropped back about a thousand yards behind the boat. I would say they are definitely towing now."

"Good. How close to the main array do you intend to make the cut, Chip?" Nelson asked.

"It worked best between 100 and 200 yards. Once the cable is severed, the weight should be enough to pull the ROV directly to the bottom. If they've got location telemetry on it, it should make it look like the separation happened naturally. Once it has settled, we need to center up on the unit and pull it through the bell hatch," Chip explained.

"Skipper, the _Gremlin_ is passing over us now," Kowalski called out.

"Helm take us to 100 feet," Lee ordered. The order was acknowledged and carried out. They could clearly see the hull of the vessel above them and Seaview was buffeted slightly in the prop wash from the large boat. As the boat passed through the wash, Lee smiled. "Hopefully now we'll be mixed in with their noise. Helm, take us down to 200 feet and cut speed to 9 knots. Nose watch, let me know the minute you see the cable."

"Aye, sir," was echoed from both positions.

Within a few minutes, there was a call from the watch in the nose. "Skipper, I've got the cable in sight. It's off to our port side angling down," Martin reported.

"Good eyes, Martin," Lee replied. He, Chip, and Nelson moved forward and regarded the cable.

"I wonder how deep they're trolling?" Nelson asked, quietly.

"Only one way to find out," Crane replied. "Helm, one degree down bubble."

"Aye, sir," came the immediate response. Seaview slowly began to slip further beneath the surface as they traced the umbilical to the array.

"Kowalski, give me a read out on how much cable they've played out," Crane ordered.

"Aye, Skipper. So far, we've traced 3 miles," Ski replied.

"That's probably about half," Nelson commented as he watched the array descend deeper into the ocean depths.

"What's our depth, Helm?" Lee asked.

"Passing 2,100 feet, sir."

Lee returned to the chart table and regarded the chart. This area of the ocean bottomed out at about 4,000 feet with three charted thermoclines between the surface and sea floor. He figured they were shooting for the middle region and would position the array either above or below the area to try and locate anyone stalking them.

"Looks like the rate of descent is levelling off, Lee," Chip said as he joined Lee at the table.

Lee nodded at the report. "Ski, how much cable?"

"We've tracked 5.58 miles, sir."

"Helm, zero bubble." Seaview immediately stopped her descent and levelled out as they proceeded forward towards their goal.

"Skipper, looks like we've found it," Martin called out.

Lee and Chip returned to the nose and peered out the window. In the narrowed beam of Seaview's powerful spotlights, they barely made out the bulk of a large ROV attached to the cable providing the guidance for depth.

"I wonder if they've got a camera on that thing?" Nelson wondered.

"That's a distinct possibility," Lee replied. "Chip, kill the lights. We don't need to give them any hint we're here."

"Aye, sir." Chip flipped off the light leaving a black void in front of them. He then picked up his unit and activated the night vision camera on the ROV, which returned a grainy, green image of the cable and ROV in front of them. "I've got a visual on it, Lee."

"Good," Lee acknowledged. "Ski, what is their speed?"

"Still moving at 10 knots, sir."

"Helm, match speed," Crane ordered.

"Aye, sir." Seaview quickly responded to the adjustment and now maintained a constant position relative to the object ahead of them.

"You ready to rock and roll, Mr. Morton?" Lee inquired.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Chip replied.

Lee smiled, then returned his attention to the chart on the table. He noted their current position and the rugged contours of the bottom below them. They were passing over a region with a number of rock outcrops and sea mounts. "This looks to be the most opportune time to make a grab for it, there are enough things below to get snagged on and all it takes is one uncharted bump to do it. Get going, Chip."

"Yes, sir," Chip replied then turned his attention to his control unit.

He toggled a switch and the drone dutifully lifted up off the hull of Seaview and surged up and forward towards the cable. He deftly manipulated the joysticks bringing the unit closer and closer towards his goal. As he prepared to clamp on, the silence in the control room was suddenly shattered along with his concentration.

"Skipper, Russian Victor Class submarine, 20,000 yards and closing," Ski called out.

"Damn," Lee swore as he made eye contact with Harri and Chip. "Where the hell did that come from?"

"Apparently PR security has more leaks than a sieve," Nelson remarked snidely.

"It would seem so," Lee responded. "Ski, have they detected us?"

"Not that I can tell, sir. They're making a beeline for the array, coming in from our port side."

"Chip, get moving. Get that thing clamped on and working on the cable, ASAP," Lee directed.

Chip nodded. "I'm on it." He resumed his scrutiny of the readouts and images from the drone and pulled it even with cable one more time. Blocking out everything around him, he gingerly edged the ROV forward, opened the cable clamp, eased it down over the cable and snapped the jaws shut.

"Got it!" he reported triumphantly. Harri and Lee smiled. Nelson gave him a quick pat on the back as Chip activated the gnawing blades that chewed their way through the cable.

"Where's that sub, Ski?" Lee inquired.

"Twelve thousand yards and closing. She's coming in behind the _Gremlin_."

"How's it coming, Chip? We need to get out of here in a hurry," Lee said.

"It's over three quarters of the way through, we can drop away any time, Skipper," Chip answered.

"Helm, cut engines, 10 degrees down angle on the dive planes. Time to play rock," Lee directed.

Seaview immediately nosed down as she headed towards the bottom below. As she silently sank deeper, Chip continued to focus on his readouts as the ROV continued its work on the cable. After nearly a minute he uttered a quiet 'Yes!'.

"She's through. ROV is now descending rapidly as the weight of the cable and array are dragging her to the bottom," he reported.

"Well done, Chip," Nelson replied and gave him another clap on the back. "Is the ROV sending telemetry on its position?"

"Yes, sir. Everything looks to be working perfectly."

"Helm, what's our keel to bottom?" Lee inquired as he perused the chart.

"Eight hundred feet, sir," Martin answered.

"Okay, zero bubble, level us out and hold steady," Lee ordered. Rodriguez repeated the order as he returned Seaview to an even keel and halted her descent. "Has your toy hit bottom yet, Chip?"

"Not yet, about 1,500 feet to go," Chip reported.

"Skipper!" Ski called out. "I've now got a Chinese Shan Class submarine on the scope. She's coming in on our starboard side, 18,000 yards and closing fast. The Victor is still to port now at 8,000 yards but slowing."

"Double damn," Lee hissed under his breath. "How deep are they, Ski?"

"The Victor is at 1,200 feet and the Shan is riding higher at 500 feet," Ski replied.

"Helm, what's our depth?"

"Thirty-three hundred feet, sir," Rod answered.

"All right, let's hope they haven't seen us yet. We're right in the middle of the lowest thermocline so they've probably haven't noticed us… so far. Have you got a fix on your drone, Chip?"

"Aye, Skipper. She's on the bottom about 1,200 yards dead ahead," Morton reported.

"Helm ahead slow, 3 degrees down bubble," Lee ordered. His order was rapidly repeated and Seaview eased forward and down towards the ROV and their prize. He moved next to Chip and regarded the blip on the control unit screen indicating the ROV's location. "Keel to bottom, Helm?"

"Ninety feet, sir." Martin replied.

"Zero bubble, hold trim. Hit the lights," Lee continued to watch the ROV's display and issued a series of commands that resulted in the diving bell hatch lining up directly above the drone. "That's the best I can do, the rest is up to you."

Chip looked at him and rolled his eyes at Lee's excessive precision, which did not go unnoticed by Harri, eliciting a snort of laughter. "You're an eighth of an inch off," he remarked sarcastically gaining a raised eyebrow and smirk from his CO.

"Get down there and get your toy so we can get out of here," Lee replied sternly, then winked and smiled.

"Aye, sir. On my way, sir," Chip answered and fired off a quick salute as he headed for the aft hatch.

"One heck of a display of boat handling, Lee," Nelson offered as he joined his captain at the chart table.

"Thank you, sir. The real fun will start when we try to get out of here without attracting attention."

"Skipper!" Kowalski called out.

"What is it now, Ski?" Lee responded, a hint of exasperation in his voice at all the activity around them.

"You're not going to believe this, but I just picked up another sub in the area. PR Barracuda class is now bearing down on the area. He's making sure everyone is aware of him, actively pinging away, probably trying to back the others off."

Lee blew out a gust of air. "Can't say I'm too surprised. What's his location, Ski?"

"He's 20,000 yards directly ahead of us at 2,100 feet," Ski answered.

"That's not much above her crush depth," Nelson remarked. "Think they've lost control of the situation?"

Lee chuckled a bit. "Could be. With all these subs in the area, it's like the I-5 freeway on Friday night. Getting out without a fender bender might be difficult. Where's everybody else, Ski?" Lee and Nelson moved to the sonar station to get a look as Ski began identifying where all the players were.

"The surface vessels have turned around and are heading back along their transit path. The Russian sub is now holding steady at 9,000 yards off our port side, at 1,500 feet. The Chinese sub is advancing slowly off our starboard side, 12,000 yards and closing, now at 1,000 feet. The PR boat is steaming at us head on, she's now 10,000 yards and closing holding at 2,100 feet."

"Any chatter between them, Sparks?" Lee asked.

"The PR boat is sending out a message telling both vessels to back off and exit the area," Sparks replied. "No mention of us, Skipper. Doesn't sound like they've detected us."

"Any response from the other two subs?" Nelson inquired.

"The Russian has responded indicating that they are in international waters and have no intention of vacating the area. Nothing from the Chinese, yet."

Lee and Harri exchanged concerned looks. This had all the makings of turning nasty if one side or the other decided to push the issue.

"We really need to get out of here," Lee said quietly.

"I agree, I'll head down and check on Chip's progress," Nelson responded.

(((())))

 **Chapter 7**

Chip made his way down to the missile room as quickly as he could without running. As he entered he nodded and smiled in appreciation at Sharkey and crew's preparedness. They already had the recovery equipment staged and ready for deployment. "Well done, Chief."

Morton toggled a switch powering the ROV back up and activated its propeller. The drone raised up from the ocean bed, and slowly began to ascend towards Seaview's bell hatch. Within 10 minutes the drone surfaced in the well, its clamp securely latched to the array tow cable. Riley sprang into action and attached a hook to the lift ring on top of the unit.

Sharkey gave a quick grin then signaled to the winch operator to begin pulling in the ROV and the attached array. As the drone cleared the well rim, Patterson quickly snagged the cable and pulled the unit to side at which point Sharkey signaled the operator to lower the unit to the deck. Once it hit the deck, Patterson and Riley moved into action disconnecting the cable from the drone and splicing it to the cable on the diving bell drum.

As they prepared to begin pulling in the cable and bringing the array aboard, Chip recalled their discussion regarding the PR ROV used for regulating how deep the array was towed and use of cameras on it, and if that camera was still active. "Hold for just a minute, Chief," he said as he walked to the mic on the escape hatch. "Control Room, this is Morton."

"Go ahead, Chip," Lee responded immediately.

"We're all set to begin hauling cable, but I have a concern. I'm wondering if the PR has a wireless camera sending pictures back to the surface. If they do, they're going to get a good shot of the only flat-bottomed submarine in the world."

"I see your point," Lee replied after he quickly mulled over Chip's concern. "Do you have a recommended solution?"

"If we have time, I could send my drone back out, come in behind it and try and take out the cameras or even attempt to put a tarp or something over it," Chip offered. "As long as it's blinded, even if they know someone grabbed it, there are other suspects in the area."

Lee chuckled, momentarily glad for all the company. "The admiral should be there any second, run your recommendation by him then call me back with what you think will work best. At the moment the PR and Russians are verbally sparing about who has rights to this patch of ocean and the Chinese have yet to engage, but I'm sure that's only a matter of time."

"Copy that," Chip answered. "The admiral just arrived, I'll call back shortly. Out."

Nelson moved quickly over to Chip's side as he replaced the mic. "Problems, Chip? I thought you would be hauling cable by now."

"As we were getting ready to move something occurred to me. Odds are the PR has a wireless camera on their array ROV that would continue to monitor the area even with the cable cut and if we were to just haul cable it would dutifully record the flat-bottomed keel of Seaview as it was pulled aboard totally exposing our efforts. I was thinking we could try and take the ROV camera out or try to cover it," Chip explained.

Harri gave a deep hmmmm as he considered Chip's problem and solution. "Do you have an idea how much cable you freed when you cut it off?"

"I'd say at least 200 yards," Chip answered.

Nelson nodded. "At these depths, given the limited range of an ROV light source, the visibility is going to be limited to 50 feet at most even using night vision. What if instead, you go back in with your drone and sever the cable between the ROV and the array outside the influence of its vision. My guess is the ROV was placed about 150 yards from the array and streamers. We need to have Lee raise Seaview a little higher in the water column giving the drone a wide berth, then you redeploy, make your cut and we haul the array aboard."

Chip smiled as he nodded at Nelson's solution. "I think that would work well, sir. We've got a good fix on the array and the cable and can drop back down where we need to. As long as Lee can keep things quiet and get back over the spot, it should work."

"All right, then call him back and relay our new plan. We need to get out of here before things get out of hand with all the traffic around here."

"Aye, sir," Chip replied. He quickly grabbed the mic, hailed the conn and filled Lee in on what needed to be done.

(((())))

Within ten minutes, Morton and Sharkey had the ROV prepped and ready for launch once more.

"Control Room, this is Morton."

"This is Crane, go ahead."

"ROV is ready for launch. You can move the boat at your leisure."

"Copy that. I'll move us back about 100 yards and keep us a little higher in the water to avoid any chance of being picked up by video equipment. You need to make this quick, things are starting to heat up around here as the Chinese have now asserted their right to be here as well. We don't need to be spotted by anyone else's ROV as they come looking for the array," Lee replied.

"I'll do my best, Lee. Just let me know when we can launch. Morton out."

Lee walked forward to the helm. "Helm, come up to 150 feet above the bottom, take us back slow for 100 yards."

"Aye, sir," Rod replied quickly making the changes necessary to move the boat. Seconds later he replied. "On location at 1-5-0 feet keel to bottom."

Lee picked up the mic. "Crane to Morton, you are clear to launch. Make it snappy, Mister."

"Morton here. We're deploying now."

In the Missile Room the drone was quickly released from the crane and immediately dispatched to locate the cable on the seafloor. Moving the unit just above the bottom, Chip spotted the cable. "Got it," he said, letting them know he'd found what they were after. He manipulated the controls positioning the ROV on top of the cable and engaged the clamp and the cutter. Within a couple of minutes, the cable parted. He then ordered the unit to return to Seaview with the cable in tow.

Chip continued to deftly maneuver the unit back to the boat and it popped up in the diving bell well just as before. The ratings jumped into action securing the ROV and pulling it aboard. They once more attached the cable to the bell drum and began recovering the array.

"Control Room, this is Morton, we're hauling cable now. We should have the array on board within a few minutes," Chip reported as he watched the cable from the array wrap around the drum at the opposite end of the Missile Room.

"Copy that, Chip. Let me know as soon as its cleared the well so we can get a move on," Lee answered.

"Will do, Skipper. Morton, out." He moved over to the well and stared down into the darkness below anxiously awaiting the first sign of the array they hopefully had secured.

After a few minutes, Riley sang out. "I see it Mr. Morton, it's coming up now."

"Slow the cable, get your gaffs ready to grab that," Sharkey barked to the ratings.

Chip and Nelson moved back allowing the crew to do their jobs. As the top of the array appeared in the well, Patterson grabbed the cable with his pole and pulled the unit to the side where Riley threaded the hook from the crane through the hoist ring on the top. Once that was done, Sharkey motioned to the drum operator to continue lifting the unit out of the water. When it was clear, Riley activated the overhead crane and moved the unit away from the well, then lowered it to the floor. They immediately set to recovering the attached streamers and had the entire thing aboard within 10 minutes.

As the array was placed on the floor, Nelson was eagerly inspecting the device looking for any obvious advancements from previous models. Chip bit back a smile as he watched the older man, looking very much like a kid having just unwrapped a new toy, move excitedly around the array checking out its parts.

"Morton, this is Crane, is that thing aboard yet?"

Chip grabbed the mic. "Yes, sir, we just pulled in the last streamer."

"Thought so. Things upstairs, have just gone nuts. I think Seaview's hull is blocking any signals they may have had with the unit and the PR is not pleased. They've pretty much accused both the Russian and the Chinese boats of stealing their property," Lee reported, eliciting smiles from the men in the room. "Get that thing secured, we're getting out of here now."

"Already in the works, I'll be up shortly," Chip acknowledged. He turned and observed the ratings securing the array and all its parts, along with Chip's ROV to the deck to prevent any damage to equipment or personnel should Seaview shift suddenly as she made her exit.

Nelson also watched, a smile on his face, pleased at having purloined the item they were sent to retrieve. "Great work, Chip. You handled that ROV like a pro." Chip returned Nelson's smile and blushed slightly at the praise. Harri laughed. "Shall we head to the conn and see if Lee needs a hand?"

"Yes, sir. I'm right behind you." They exited the Missile Room and headed quickly to the Control Room.

(((())))


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 8**

"What's everyone doing up there, Ski?" Crane asked as he considered his best plan for extricating them from the area hopefully without making anyone the wiser to their presence.

"Topside, the boats have all moved together. Looks like they dropped a smaller object into the water, my guess would be another ROV or AUV. It's descending now. The PR sub is moving along the transit line of the array and is at their crush depth at 2,300 feet. The Russian sub is now starting to descend and moving towards our position. The Chinese sub has moved closer but is holding their depth."

"Damn, looks like it's going to get even more crowded around here," Lee responded as he looked over Ski's shoulder. "Helm take us down to 50 feet above the bottom, ahead slow, course 0-8-5. It's time for us to exit stage right."

The order was acknowledged and quickly carried out as Seaview hovered barely above the bottom. The boat headed almost due east, as they back tracked along the array's course. Lee hoped that their signature would be lost in the back scatter of the bottom contours once the boats above them turned on their sonar and went active.

"Whatcha got, Lee?" Nelson asked as he entered from the aft hatch, followed closely by Morton.

"We've got three subs getting ready to start their own Easter egg hunt, along with four surface vessels, one of which has just splashed an ROV or UAV to come looking for what they dropped. I'm surprised no one's gone to active sonar yet, but I suppose they all _know_ who's in the area. At least no one has started to play with their torpedo tubes," Lee replied with a wink. "We've been moving east very slowly just above the bottom trying very much to make like a rock or hulking biologic. So far so good, but that could change at any moment."

"That does sound busy," Nelson agreed. "What's our depth?"

"We're hanging at about 3,920 feet, but things start getting deeper in another quarter mile and we can drop down lower, hopefully out of range of the other subs. As long as we can keep things quiet, we stand a chance," Lee explained. "Ski, where's the PR's ROV?"

"She's about 3,500 yards a stern, depth 2,800 feet and descending," Ski answered. "Looks like it's going straight for the stranded ROV, sir."

"Once they find that, things should get really interesting," Chip commented as he regarded the position of all the players on Ski's screen.

"Helm, bump our speed up to one third," Crane ordered.

"Ahead, one third, aye, sir," the helmsman acknowledged.

Seaview increased her pace through the black water as they worked their way out of the congested area behind them, trying desperately not to pique anyone's interest. The command crew stood behind Kowalski watching the numerous blips on the sonar screen looking for any indication that the jig was up. So far, so good.

Lee blew out a deep breath and nodded, pleased with their progress thus far. He moved back to the chart table to update his chart and scan the path forward making sure they avoided any obstacles in their way. Nelson and Morton moved to the nose, claimed a cup of coffee and looked out the windows.

"Skipper," Ski called out.

"What now, Ski?" Lee inquired.

"Large mass in front of us, sir. Almost profiles like a ship," Ski answered.

Lee quickly looked down at his chart trying to spot any notations regarding sunken ships in their area of the ocean and found nothing. Harri and Chip, having heard Ski's report returned to the chart table to check things out as well. "How far ahead?"

"Four thousand yards and closing, Skipper."

"Reduce speed, slow ahead," Crane ordered. He returned to the sonar station and regarded the image Kowalski had noticed. "That's a big sucker," he commented quietly.

"Aye, sir," Ski acknowledged.

"What's the distance?"

"Twenty-five hundred yards and closing," Ski reported.

Lee frowned momentarily, then turned and walked to the nose. He wanted a look at what was out there. He was quickly joined by Harri.

"What's there?" Harri inquired.

"My guess would be a large container ship," Lee replied, knowing this area marked a busy thoroughfare for the massive ships moving cargo from one port to another. "I know there have been a couple of ships that have gone down in the last five years that were never located. This may be one of them. There's nothing on the nav charts that indicate a downed ship in the area. I wish we could go active on sonar for a better read out, but that's not an option."

Harri nodded in agreement. "You're probably right about the ship. I see you haven't changed course to avoid it though."

"The closer we are the more likely the other subs will ping on us both and hopefully read us as one signal. Also, if we can get a look at her bow or stern, maybe we can get a name and provide that to the Coast Guard for their information. I know in one of those sinkings, crewmen were lost so we might be able to provide some closure for the families."

Harri shot Lee a quick smile and nodded. "Chip, hit the lights," Harri ordered.

Chip flipped on the huge spotlights mounted on Seaview's hull illuminating the area in front of them. There was nothing immediately apparent, but as they moved forward a hulking shape slowly began to take form as the bright lights washed over the area ahead. As they drew closer, it became apparent it was a large container ship resting on her keel listing heavily to port. The area around the ship was littered with numerous connex boxes and other shipping containers that had fallen off as the ship sank. The hull of the ship was heavily encrusted with marine life and debris, indicating she had been down there for some time.

"All stop," Lee ordered. "What's everyone doing, Ski?"

"Unchanged, sir. The PR ROV is nearing 3,500 feet and still descending."

"Good. Chip pan the lights across the ship and see if you can pick out a name," Lee ordered. "With all those containers lying around, it should work to confuse the sonar signals."

"I'm on it, Skipper," Chip answered and slowly moved the light across the huge ship in front of them.

Nelson, Crane, and Morton strained their eyes looking for any sign of the ship's name. The marine growth, and silt and debris obscured just about everything making it impossible to spot any writing. Their focus was suddenly broken by a call from the Missile Room.

"Skipper, this is the Missile Room," Sharkey said over the intercom.

"What is it, Chief?" Lee replied quietly.

"Sir, I think we got a big problem down here."

"What kind of problem?" Crane inquired, not needing anything to complicate the situation he already had with the other submarines skulking through the waters around them.

"I think this array is booby trapped, sir. The thing is humming like a hot torpedo," Sharkey answered.

"Shit," Lee swore under his breath and shoved a hand through his hair as he locked eyes with Nelson. "That's the last thing we needed. Any idea how much time we have, Sharkey?"

"Based on the sound of our fish when they go bad, I'd guess about 10 minutes. Want me to toss it overboard?"

"I've got this, Lee," Harri said, not willing to so easily give up the prize they had worked so hard to get. "You take care of things here, and I'll see if I can disarm that thing."

Lee nodded. "The admiral is on his way down, Chief. Hold tight until he gets there. Crane out." As he replaced the mic, Nelson was already through the aft hatch heading down to the Missile Room. "Kowalski, where is everyone?"

"They're pretty much holding steady, Skipper. The Russian sub is still off our starboard bow, the Chinese boat is to port and the PR is trailing behind us but slowing, they're just about over the ROV."

Crane nodded as he processed the information. "Let me know if anything changes," he said and moved back to the chart table to continue his scrutiny of the charts.

(((())))

 **Chapter 9**

Nelson was nearly at a dead run as he worked his way down to the Missile Room. As he entered he spotted Sharkey closely scrutinizing the array as the ratings quietly readied the torpedoes for any order that might require their use.

"What we got, Chief?" Nelson said as he approached the array which had been securely chained to the deck.

"Here, sir," Sharkey replied as he pointed to the LED display on the center console that had come to life.

Nelson frowned as he examined the unit and the display. "Good catch, Sharkey. Looks like the PR is taking no chances that someone picks up their toy," Harri replied. "Get me a non-magnetic tool kit and let's see if we can either disarm the device or at least remove the explosive."

"Aye, sir," Sharkey replied and quickly moved to one of the lockers, silently opened the door and removed one of the kits. "Here, sir."

"Thanks," Nelson answered. He zipped open the bag and rooted around for a moment removing a small Phillip's-head screwdriver. He then gently inserted the tip in one of the screws and slowly rotated the tool. The screw released easily and he rapidly removed it, then proceeded to remove the other five holding the faceplate in place.

Carefully he eased the faceplate off and found the timing device attached to the backside of the plate. He pulled the device out of the housing cautiously so as not to stress any of the wires lest he inadvertently set something off. He scrutinized the myriad collection of wires attached to the control panel and frowned, this was not going to be an easy job.

He gently lifted the device and regarded the timer. He was down to 14 minutes and 45 seconds. "Sharkey, synchronize your watch to this," he ordered. The chief quickly manipulated his watch and matched the display.

"Got it, sir," he answered.

"When it gets down to 5 minutes let me know because we'll need to dump this fast if I can't figure out what's going on inside this thing," Nelson replied.

"Copy that, sir."

Nelson resumed his inspection of the device as he chased each wire back into the array housing. "Get me a table or stool; something I can put this on," he ordered. Sharkey quickly grabbed a stool and slid it beneath the admiral's hands.

Harri nodded, then laid the control panel on the stool. "Make sure that doesn't move, Chief," he said. Sharkey moved in beside the admiral and grabbed the device making sure it went nowhere. Nelson dove back into the tool kit and retrieved a larger screwdriver. He knelt down and began removing the screws holding the lower housing in place.

As he removed the last screw, the housing shifted unexpectedly and dropped off the device. Only Harri's rapid reflexes kept the cover from hitting the deck and giving away their position to the hungry hunters lurking in the waters around them. Both he and Sharkey let out relieved sighs as Nelson slid the cover out of the way. He motioned one of the ratings over to take the cover and stow it securely somewhere in the room.

"How's my time?" Nelson inquired.

Sharkey cocked his head to regard his watch face. "You're down to 9 minutes 15 seconds," he reported.

Nelson nodded then knelt down to examine the exposed workings of the array. He rapidly traced the wires from the control panel to their various sources. As he followed the blue and yellow wires, he found the bomb. Surrounding the back side of the array was a four-foot by two-foot, by two-inch-thick sheet of what looked like C4 explosive. His eyes grew wide in astonishment as he realized how big a bomb they now had on board.

He quickly scanned the material hoping that disarming the mechanism would be as simple as pulling the wires out of the mass. Much to his horror he found the explosive had a very thin wire mesh running throughout the material that prevented such a simplistic method of making it inert. It looked very much like they were going to have to dump their prize and then run like hell in hopes it didn't blow them to bits when it went off.

Nelson gingerly felt along and behind the sheet of explosive and discovered that it was in a frame and could be removed by sliding it down and easing it out of the upper casing. As he started to work, the control panel suddenly jerked in Sharkey's hands when the sheet slid down.

"Sir!" Sharkey hissed as he held on desperately to the faceplate. Nelson quickly looked up to see what the problem was. "Tug it like that once more, sir, and you'll pull it out of my hands."

Harri nodded and looked around the room, spotting Patterson standing to the side. "Pat, come on over here and keep this from coming out any further," he said as he gently eased the explosive back inside the housing a bit.

"Aye, sir," Pat replied, then sat down next to the admiral and accepted the bomb.

Harri returned to the faceplate and more closely examined the detonator. The closer he looked, the more it looked like the device was just screwed onto the faceplate and not intrinsic to the operational design. He hoped that the countdown was triggered due to the amount of time the array had been stationary and not properly powered down and was not wired into any of the readouts from the faceplate. As he gently turned the faceplate he spotted two tiny screws holding the timer in place.

"Time, Sharkey?"

"Seven minutes, sir."

Nelson dove back into the tool kit desperately hoping there was something small enough to remove those screws. They were about the size of those used in eyeglasses and there weren't a whole lot of things on Seaview that small. After a moment of frantic searching he gave a quiet victorious cry as he pulled out what looked like a watchmaker's tool kit. He untied the ribbon around the bundle and unrolled it finding a small screwdriver that would do the trick.

He pulled it out and returned to the control panel then carefully eased the tip into one of the screws. It fit perfectly. As he was removing the screw he silently pondered why anyone would have outfitted a toolkit with this particular set of tools, and quickly settled on his always prepared captain. He chuckled silently in appreciation of the over grown Boy Scout he'd chosen to captain his boat.

Within seconds, he had both screws out and the timing device slid off the faceplate. They watched in horror as one of the displays winked out and momentarily held their breaths waiting for the bomb to detonate. After ten very valuable and excruciatingly long seconds ticked off and nothing had gone boom, the men blew out a sigh of relief, shook their heads and grinned at having dodged a bullet for the moment.

Harri took the timer and eased it back through the opening in the housing and gently threaded it through the maze of wires inside until it emerged at the bottom of the device. "Pat, I need you to start easing the explosive charge slowly out of the casing. If you run into any snags, stop immediately and let me know."

"Yes, sir," Pat said, then swallowed hard and carefully pulled the clay-like material out. As the back edge cleared the housing he blew out a sigh of relief. "She's free, Admiral," he announced quietly.

"Good work, Pat," Nelson replied. "Sharkey, what's the time?"

"You got 5 minutes and 12 seconds to go, Admiral."

"All right, let's get this thing ready for disposal as gently as we can. Put it in that empty parts container and add about 50 pounds in dive weights to make sure it drops away fast," Nelson ordered as he stood. Sharkey and Patterson rose with him. Sharkey hustled over to the diving gear station, picked up three weight belts laden with lead and returned to the container. He and Pat then buckled two of the belts around the parts can and placed the third inside with the explosives. They then attached a sling to the container and were ready to lift it up and drop it out the diving well when ordered

"What now, sir?" Sharkey inquired.

"I'm heading up to the Control Room to let the captain know what's going on, so he can come up with some sort of plan to eject our payload without getting us blown to hell by it or those subs out there. Chief, give me an update every minute." Nelson replied as he turned and headed out the hatch. Sharkey nodded and gave him a quick salute acknowledging the order.

(((())))

Just as Lee was about to call down to the Missile Room for an update on the situation, Harri entered the aft hatch, a bit winded from his sprint through the boat.

"What's the situation, sir?" Lee asked.

"We have one hell of a bomb loaded into a weighted parts can, that is set to go off in just over 4 minutes. We need to get that thing off the boat and us away from here before it takes us all out," Nelson replied.

Lee scowled at the news momentarily then his mind kicked into high gear rapidly evaluating multiple options for ejecting their load while not giving away their presence and getting swamped by the concussive wave from the bomb. He quickly crossed over to Kowalski to get a status update.

Knowing what his skipper needed before he asked, Ski started to speak. "The Russian is about 6,000 yards off our starboard side at 3,000 feet. The Chinese boat is on our port side, at 7,000 yards and down to 1,800 feet. The PR boat is holding steady over the ROV 3,500 yards a stern at 2,500 feet," Ski reported.

"That doesn't leave us much maneuvering room. All right, signal battle stations and get everyone ready to react." Lee said. When the lights flashed to red, the crew moved silently to their battle stations. As he was about to issue his orders they were pinged by an active sonar sweep from one of the subs. "Damn," he said quietly. "I was hoping we could get out of the area before that happened. Sparks, anything over the radio following that?"

Sparks pressed the earphones tighter against his ears as he listened intently to the conversations going on around him. "No one is calling out to the unknown sub in front of them, if that's what you're asking, Skipper," he replied with a tense smile.

Lee and Chip smiled broadly at the information. "They can't see us," Chip remarked. "Between that ship in front of us and all the metal boxes around us we must come across as just a big blip."

"Also, doesn't hurt we're non-magnetic thanks to our titanium hull," Lee added with a nod towards Nelson showing his appreciation for his choice of building materials.

"What's your plan, Lee?" Chip asked as he joined Nelson and Crane at the sonar station.

Before Lee could answer, there was a hail from Sharkey. "Control room, four minutes," was all he said.

Nelson picked up the mic and clicked it twice acknowledging the report. He then looked expectantly at his captain for the answer to Morton's question.

Lee smiled a bit. "We're going to climb just above that ship, dump the bomb, then drop back down into the canyon behind her, take a hard left, and haul ass," he replied. Harri and Chip returned his smile and nodded in full agreement.

"I'm counting on the sudden noise and flying debris to startle them all enough that they peel out instead of poking around trying to figure out who fired first and lose our signal in all the confusion before they can lock onto us," Lee said.

"Sharkey, get the bomb staged over the well and on my signal, release it," Lee ordered.

"Copy that, Skipper. We'll be ready to go in just a few seconds," Sharkey answered. The ratings were already in motion carrying out their captain's orders. "Ready when you are, sir."

"Okay, here we go. Helm, 5 degrees up bubble and take us up to 3,500 feet, ahead dead slow." Lee ordered. The helmsman reacted immediately and Seaview quickly rose higher in the water and slowly moved forward. As the boat passed over the stricken vessel amidships Lee raised the mic to his mouth. "Release the bomb."

"Aye, sir, bomb's away," came the instantaneous reply. "Three minutes, Skipper."

"Helm, ahead one third, full down angle on the bow planes, take us to 4,300 feet. Once clear take us to emergency flank."

"Aye, sir," Rod answered tensely. The helmsman pushed down hard on the yoke directing the boat downwards as the ballast tanks were simultaneously flooded and Seaview began dropping like the proverbial rock. As they entered the lower shadow zone and became ensconced by the canyon walls, he rapidly leveled the boat off and Seaview's massive engines kicked in pushing them hard left as she heeled over answering the helmsman's direction. "4-3-0-0 feet, sir."

As Seaview blew through the water increasing the distance between them and the explosive, Lee called back down. "Missile Room, how long until that thing detonates?"

"One minute and counting, Skipper," Sharkey answered.

Lee double clicked the mic clearing the channel. "All hands, brace for extreme turbulence," he ordered.

Everyone in the Control Room grabbed for a secure handhold or braced themselves in their seat in preparation for what Nelson characterized as 'one hell of a bomb'. Ski removed his headphones but kept a weathered eye on the screen before him.

Nelson looked at his watch and began counting down the seconds. "Ten, nine, eight, …zero."

"The bomb has detonated, Skipper. Shockwave on its way in five…four…three…two…one," Kowalski relayed.

The explosion was every bit as big as Nelson expected. As the leading edge of the shockwave hit, Seaview was engulfed in a turbulent rush of water that rocked the boat unmercifully. Even though everyone was prepared, the power of the wave shook anyone not sitting down loose and sent them careening across the boat as she rolled from side to side, eventually throwing them all to deck.

When the turbulence passed, Lee groaned quietly then pushed himself up off the deck sporting several bruises and cuts from his uncontrolled meeting with parts of his boat. He wiped blood out of his eye from a deep cut on his forehead and moved forward towards the helm. "All stop, maintain trim," he ordered.

"All stop, aye, sir," came a rather shaken response from Rodriguez.

Crane then began taking stock of the damage around him. Steam from blown pipes and smoke from electrical shorts clouded the red-lit room and those able to respond moved to shut off the flow and quench any fires. Lee had yet to hear or see Nelson or Morton and was becoming more worried by the second. "Admiral, Chip, are you okay?" he said as he made his way to the opposite side of the chart table.

"I'm going to be feeling this in the morning, but I'm fine, Lee," Chip replied as he climbed to his feet holding his left side. He then reached a hand down and helped pull Nelson up to his feet.

"I'm okay, too, lad," Nelson replied as he placed his hand to his head where a large knot was starting to form. "I don't think I've injured much more than my pride."

Lee nodded, then located the mic. "DC report."

"DC here, hold one," Patterson replied, then a couple minutes later began his report. "We are tight and dry, Skipper. Engines are on line and ready at your command. There are a lot of overloads, and environmental systems are currently down. Lots of minor injuries, Sick Bay has been alerted and is responding. Estimate 2 hours to make all necessary repairs."

"Copy, that. Pull any hands you need to hasten recovery of all systems, but keep it as quiet as possible," Lee ordered.

"Aye, sir. DC out."

Lee looked over at Kowalski for a read on what was going on above them. Ski nearly laughed as he listened to the noise and followed the images on his screen.

"Care to share what's going on, Ski?" Lee inquired, as he rubbed at his right temple trying desperately to fight off a brewing headache.

"Sounds like a freeway at rush hour up there, Skipper. That explosion has them all going different directions fast. Still don't know if they ever picked us up. No one seems to be following and we were being less than stealthy before that went off, sir," Ski responded. Lee smiled as did Chip and Harri.

"I'm still reading three signals, so at this point in time, no one has lost a boat. They all probably got a better shake than we did, sir, so no one is currently in pursuit if they caught on we were the responsible party. They all have moved off significantly from their initial positions, all are going shallow, and noise is consistent with making repairs."

"Thanks, Ski. Keep your ears peeled for any hint they know we're about."

"Aye, Skipper."

Lee walked forward to the chart table to determine where they were. Chip had already updated the chart with location and depth. He ran his finger along the chart tracing out the route he wanted to take and knew they should exit the area as quickly and as quietly as they could. "Mr. Morton, set a course 0-6-0, current depth, ahead one third, implement silent running protocols."

"Course 0-6-0, 4,300 feet, ahead one third," Chip replied. The orders were parroted by the helmsmen and Seaview turned gently to port and began moving quietly forward. "All hands, rig for silent running," he ordered over the intercom. Within seconds once more only the soft hum and murmur of the boat's systems was all that could be heard as the crew went about making repairs and navigating their way home.

(((())))

They had been running silent for nearly six hours making a quiet exit from the scene. Crane, now sporting a stark white bandage on his forehead concealing several stitches, moved up behind Kowalski and regarded the sonar display on the screen. "Anything, Ski?"

"No, sir. It's all quiet out there."

Lee nodded and patted Ski on the shoulder then headed forward to the charting table. "Where are we, Chip?"

"We're a little over 150 nautical miles for our departure point," Morton replied as he pointed to their current location. "We should be at the leading edge of the ice sheet in approximately 10 hours if we continue to run silent."

"Good. Keep us on current course and speed, the last thing we want to do now is draw any type of attention to ourselves at this point in the game. I think we can secure from silent running though."

"Aye, Skipper," Chip acknowledged, and gave the order to secure from silent running but to keep any noise to a minimum. "So, what's the admiral up to? I haven't seen him in a while."

Lee smiled. "He's down in the Missile Room examining our prize. Like me, he's concerned that the array was actually a trap designed to sucker in some sticky-fingered sub, then destroy it. He seems quite certain that the array is legitimate and the explosives were put there to ensure that if they lost it, no one else could it pick up and survive."

"Thank god we had him aboard or we would have had to toss it overboard, or worse yet gone up with it," Chip remarked and got a confirming nod from Lee. "Do you think we tipped them off that we snagged their equipment by disposing of the charge like we did?" Chip asked.

"Possibly, but there were a lot of boats in the region at the time, plus with that ship down there it could have legitimately snagged on it and ripped it off. I'm hoping their finger will be pointing at one of the other two subs in the area. I'm sure just as a matter of course, they will file a complaint with the President and every other navy with submarines," Lee replied. "I think we've done our job well enough that they can't pin it on us." They both nodded in agreement and smiled with pride at the dedication and efficiency of their crew and their demonstration of why submarines are called the 'Silent Service'.

"Did you by any chance see a name on that ship?" Chip asked.

"No, everything was too crusted with growth. The most we can do is inform the Coast Guard of its original location and provide the video we captured. Unfortunately, I'm pretty certain there's not much of it left now. I hate to admit it, but I was thrilled she was there since it gave us the perfect cover for our escape," Lee replied.

(((())))

 **Chapter 10**

Seaview continued to make her way silently up the west coast of Alaska, then ducked under the ice cap and headed due east until they reached the Atlantic Ocean. They stayed deep, relying on the boat's substantial crush depth, along with utilizing the various thermoclines and littoral zones to mask their passage.

As they motored their way down the Atlantic off the coast of the US, Lee brought the boat nearer the surface and made a quick call. "Fagin, this is Dodger, do you read me?"

Almost a minute passed before they received an answer. "Dodger, this is Fagin, we read you loud and clear. Have you successfully picked their pocket?"

"Affirmative, Fagin. We have some lovely goods to give you, should make Sikes very happy," Lee replied and smiled.

"Excellent, Dodger. Was the mark wise to you?"

"Not that we can confirm, Fagin. You would be in a better position to know that. Anyone calling the coppers to report a theft?"

"No calls, yet. Though we did notice quite a disturbance a while back. Was somewhat concerned for your safety but sounds like you missed the excitement."

"We had our moments," Lee answered. "So, you interested in our goods?"

"Very much so, Dodger. Sending you instructions to the safe house, see you there in 48 hours," Fagin replied.

Lee looked over at Sparks and got a nod that he had received the transmission. "Got it Fagin, see you soon, Dodger out."

Sparks printed out the message and handed it to Lee, who walked to the chart table and located their rendezvous coordinates on the map. As he marked the area on the chart he heard the telltale sound of Harri coming down the staircase. He acknowledged his arrival, then issued orders for course and speed to get them to the rendezvous point on time.

"I see you've heard from Fagin," Harri said as he noted Lee's activity at the chart table and the slight change in course.

"Yes, sir. We will rendezvous with them in 48 hours and make the transfer here," he replied as he tapped the map with his finger. "Question, sir, do you think that once the array is removed from Seaview, it will transmit a locator signal back to the PR? It was rather obvious once we brought it aboard that whatever communications it had with the surface was blocked due to our hull."

"Good point, Lee. I'll head back down and conduct a more thorough inspection and make sure that everything is powered down. Last thing we need is to stumble this close to the finish line and make all our efforts for naught," Harri answered. "I'll let you know if I find anything." Nelson then headed out the aft hatch and returned to the Missile Room to dig deeper into their prize.

Nearly two hours later, Harri reappeared in the Control Room holding a small box about the size of a pack of cigarettes. He dropped it on the chart table in front of Lee and Chip. "Look what I found hidden in a compartment inside the array housing," Harri said pointing to the small device. "They weren't taking any chances that someone would steal their toy and think they got away Scot free. It's transmitting a low frequency signal that can be easily picked up by a satellite as soon as any shielding is removed. So, the second we removed it from Seaview and transferred it to the carrier group, its location would have been sent to the PR letting them know exactly who snatched their array. Good catch, lad."

"Thank you, sir," Lee replied. "Think you got them all?"

"You never know. I've added a signal scrambler to the inside of the crate to hopefully keep any other hidden devices from making contact. When we make the transfer, you definitely need to let Fagin know what we found and to take appropriate precautions," Nelson replied.

"Will do, sir. So, is everything set for the transfer?"

"Sharkey and team are in the process of sealing the array and the components we've pulled up in waterproof bags and enclosing them in a couple of crates. They'll add some air bladders inside to make them neutrally buoyant so the drone won't have any trouble towing them over to the waiting ship," Harri explained.

"Is the ROV ready to roll, Chip?" Lee asked.

"I've checked her out completely and she's fully operational. Once we get her in the water, I'll tow the package over to the ship until they take control and become responsible for it," Chip answered.

"Excellent," Lee responded. "It sounds like we're all set, and on that note, I recommend we head to the wardroom for some lunch. The aromas coming from that direction are especially alluring today." Chip and Harri nodded in agreement. "Mr. O'Brien, you have the conn."

"Aye, sir," Bobby replied and moved to the chart table to make the notation in the log book and start his watch.

(((())))

Exactly 48 hours later, Seaview rendezvoused with the carrier group and efficiently transferred their purloined goods to the waiting ships above. Lee informed the captain of the potential for location transponders and what steps they had taken to negate any equipment still sending out a signal.

"Dodger, we have a return shipment for you. Please have your operator take control and bring it aboard. It's a small gift of thanks from Sikes," Fagin said once they had received the items.

"For us? What is it?" Lee inquired.

"You'll just have to open it up to find out," Fagin replied with a hint of humor in his voice. "We are dispatching the ROV now. Once you have the cargo aboard, send the drone back and we'll be out of your hair."

"Copy that Fagin. Oliver is standing by to bring it aboard," Lee answered as Chip rolled his eyes at the call sign.

"It's on its way."

"Missile Room, prepare to recover the ROV and its cargo. Mr. Morton will be maneuvering it into the dive well shortly. Once you've got the cargo aboard, release the drone and let the XO know it's ready for return."

"Copy, Skipper," Sharkey replied. "We are standing by."

Meanwhile, Chip had been watching his control unit until it indicated a strong signal, then took over operations. He deftly moved the ROV to the dive well in short order. Within 15 minutes, they received a call from the Missile Room indicated the crates were aboard and the ROV was back in the water. Chip once more maneuvered the small craft back towards the vessel above them and shot Lee a quick smile when control was taken over by the ship.

"We've got the 'bot' aboard. Thanks for everything Dodger. Have a good trip home. Fagin, out."

"Well, should we head down to the Missile Room and see what they sent us?" Nelson said, curious about the unscheduled shipment.

"Aye, sir," Lee replied. "Lt James, you have the conn."

"Aye, Skipper," James acknowledged.

Lee, Harri, and Chip made their way quickly out the aft hatch and down to the Missile Room, where Sharkey and crew had three good sized crates secured and were standing by with prybars and hammers equally anxious to see what was inside.

"That's some gift," Nelson said as he regarded the crates. "All right Sharkey, get those things open and let's see what we got."

The ratings moved quickly to the boxes and used the prybars to unseal the crates. They pulled out the packing material and then all gasped and smiled. Harri, Lee, and Chip moved over and looked in wondering what could elicit such a response.

"Oh, my god," Chip said slightly in awe. "Food, glorious food," at which point everyone in the Missile Room dissolved into laughter.

"Always thinking with your stomach, Oliver," Lee replied and patted him on the back. "Are you going to break out in song now?"

Chip glared at Lee for a moment, then joined in the laughter as they started removing the bounty from the crates. It had been so long since they had eaten anything that hadn't come out of a can it was going to be an incredible feast.

(((())))

Nearly four months to the day after their departure from Santa Barbara, they returned to their designated research location along the Puerto Rico Trench. Making sure no one missed their re-emergence, Seaview broached the surface at the far end of the trench so anyone watching such goings on from space wouldn't miss it.

After they had reestablished contact with NIMR, the skipper ordered that they once more prepare the deck for a BBQ to celebrate the successful completion of their mission. It was quite the gourmet affair with fresh fruits and vegetables, various desserts, and a whole roast pig courtesy of Sikes. There were even a few kegs of beer to make the party complete. Lee planned on bottoming the boat once they finished with the party so they all could sober up, then resume their voyage home the following morning.

A couple of hours later, Lee, Chip, and Harri stood in the conning tower enjoying the view of their crew enjoying the food, the drink, and the sun after a long and tedious mission. Lee smiled broadly and hoisted a cup of grog toasting his crew and vessel for successfully completing what they set out to do months ago. Harri and Chip joined him, then returned inside to relax and have their own toast to success.

(((())))

Epilogue

It had been nearly eight months since their errand for the Navy and they had somewhat forgotten about it as other projects and duties consumed their attention. Nelson was meeting with Crane and Morton in his office as they reviewed preparations for their next mission, this time heading to Hawaii to research sightings of a large, predatory starfish off the outlying islands.

As Harri was about to pass out a list of special equipment necessary for the trip, he was interrupted by the buzz of the intercom. He reached across his desk and hit the button. "Yes, Angie, what is it?"

"There's a call for you from the Secretary of the Navy on line 1," she replied.

"Thank you," Harri replied and reached for the phone receiver. As he did, Lee and Chip stood to exit the office to give him some privacy. Nelson waved them back down to their seats as he pushed the button answering the call.

"Nelson here, Mr. Secretary."

"Good morning, Harri. How are things there in Santa Barbara?" Casey replied.

"All's well, we're in the process of planning for next trip out. What is it I can do for you today Robert?" Nelson responded.

"I just thought I'd give you an update on the last errand you ran for us, if you have the time."

"I have all the time in the world for that," Harri said, anxious to hear about the array. "I've got Commanders Crane and Morton with me right now, is it acceptable for them to listen in?"

"Of course, of course, by all means."

"Thanks, let me put you on speaker phone," Harri replied and then activated the speaker. He looked at Lee and Chip and smiled. "The Secretary has an update on the results of our errand for the Navy. Please go ahead, Mr. Secretary."

"Gentlemen, I would like to thank you once again for so expertly carrying out the task we assigned you. It is our considered opinion that you managed to obtain the item we wanted with no one being the wiser. We've received no protests from any foreign nations or even veiled accusations that we were behind the loss of their property. Well done."

"You're most welcome," Harri responded and smiled broadly at his command crew. "Have you had any luck in evaluating the item?"

"Yes, we have, and are finding it is the genuine article, and the technology behind it is truly revolutionary. In our other efforts, we were able to get a copy of the software that goes with it and have been able to develop a number of tactics to render it less effective, making it safer for our subs to operate. Once we've completed our research, you'll be receiving a complete report on our findings and our recommended solutions to confound the device."

"That is fantastic news, sir," Harri replied. "I'm thrilled everything has worked out so well."

"I couldn't be happier, along with the SECDEF and the President. You and your people have once again bolstered the security and safety of our marine fleet. Please pass on the very sincere thank you from the President to your people," Casey requested.

"Most definitely. Is there anything else I or my staff can do for you?" Nelson inquired.

"There is one more thing, Harri. I was wondering if you and your command crew could come to Washington in two weeks."

Harri looked at Chip and Lee and got shrugs and nods indicating their availability. "That looks doable, can you tell us why?" Harri asked.

"Most definitely. On March 26, you will be presented with your fourth star Harri. The President has approved your promotion to full admiral in recognition of the services you and your organization have provided this nation. In all honesty, Harri, you should have been advanced after that dash to the Arctic to save our collective asses," Casey answered.

For one of the few times in Nelson's life he was stunned speechless. He sat down heavily in his chair, a look of incredulity and delight on his face. "Harri, are you there?" Casey inquired.

"He's still here, Mr. Secretary," Lee replied smothering a laugh. "You've accomplished something I thought impossible, sir, you've rendered him speechless." As Casey chuckled he was joined by Lee and Chip while Harri glared at his officers.

"Lee is quite right Robert, you surprised the hell out of me. Thank you and please pass on my thanks to the President. I will definitely make sure we are there with bells on," Harri responded finally finding his voice.

"Outstanding, Harri. It's the least a grateful nation can do. I'll have my aide get in touch with all the details. I look forward to seeing you soon. Have a good morning, gentlemen," Casey said.

"You too, Robert. Thank you and I look forward to seeing you as well. Good bye," Harri responded and hung up.

"Congratulations, sir!" Lee exclaimed as he stood and offered his hand. "You definitely deserve it."

Chip also stood and congratulated Nelson as well. "I agree sir, the promotion is well deserved and long overdue."

Harri shook hands with his men accepting their warm wishes. "I must say I never expected this. I would be quite remiss in not thanking you two for making this all possible. You make me look good."

Lee and Chip laughed. "That's why we make the big bucks, sir, to make you and NIMR look good."

"Well, you do it extremely well, thank you," Harri replied and laughed as he shook his head still in a state of disbelief. "I find it funny that I'm getting a reward for being little more than a common sneak thief."

"Sneak thief, possibly; common, never," Lee retorted. Harri blushed somewhat at the compliment and then they all laughed.

"I think this calls for a bit of a celebration. What say we postpone the rest of this meeting until later this afternoon. Dodger, Oliver, let's go out to lunch and celebrate a job well done."

"Works for us," Lee replied speaking for his XO too.

They grabbed their jackets and covers and exited Harri's office humming 'Food, Glorious Food'.

 **The End.**

This story was inspired by an actual mission that occurred in 1982, when a British sub stole a Soviet sonar array. military/navy-ships/a28794/1982-uk-sub-stole-soviet-sonar-device/

A huge shout out to my crack Beta squad that helps me look good for absolutely no compensation at all, I truly appreciate all your help. I also wish to thank everyone for reading my story and a special thanks to those who share their feedback with me, I appreciate your time and input. – CK


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